Dawn O. Braithwaite Ph.D.

About

Dawn O. Braithwaite, Ph.D., is a Willa Cather Professor of Communication Emerita at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She studies how families interact to create, navigate, and change relationships, routines, and traditions, especially in stepfamilies and chosen families.

A Distinguished Scholar of the National Communication Association (NCA) and the Western States Communication Association (WSCA), Braithwaite has published six books in 14 editions, including Engaging Theories in Interpersonal Communication (3rd ed.) and Family Communication: Cohesion and Change (11th ed.), as well as over 170 articles. She received NCA’s Brommel Award for Family Communication, the Samuel Becker Distinguished Service Award. Braithwaite served as President of WSCA in 2000 and as President of NCA in 2010. The NCA Family Communication Distinguished Book Award has been named for Braithwaite.

Books by Dawn O. Braithwaite Ph.D.

Recent Posts

Adapting and Creating Family Rituals

Are some of your family’s traditions and routines no longer relevant or workable? Take steps to adapt or create new rituals that will increase participation and enjoyment.

Communicating Credibility

When we believe we are credible in a specific situation or relationship, it's frustrating to find that others do not think we are. What is credibility, and how is it communicated?

College Transition: Emptying the Nest to Flocking Together

How can new students and their parents communicate and handle changes and challenges during the exciting and often stressful transition to college?

How to Plan a Remarriage Ceremony With Meaning for Stepchildren

Is it even possible for parents and stepparents to plan a wedding that will be positive and meaningful for them and their children?

Turning Points in Becoming a Family

We may think it takes a lot of time or money to develop a positive family, but that is not always the case.

Communicating and Creating Resilience in Times of Adversity

How do we create, call on, and communicate resilience in difficult times?

How to Be a Good Neighbor in Contentious Times

Practicing civil communication in a setting of respectfulness.

Who Is Family and Why Does It Matter?

Who do you consider family? There is no single way to be a family and there are benefits to taking an inclusive approach to family.

The Importance of Interpersonal Acceptance

What happens when important people in our lives don’t seem to accept us?

How and When to Offer Help

Providing help can be positive or negative for the person receiving help as well as the helper. Here are practical communication strategies to consider before offering help.