Meet Us
Kelly Haer
Dr. Kelly Maxwell Haer is the Director of Relationship IQ at the Boone Center for the Family. She loves helping young adults form healthy relationships through researching, developing, and implementing materials that make the intersection of psychological science and theology relevant to daily life. She enjoys creating space for young adults to process relational concerns, training leaders to connect with young adults, and equipping the church to support young adults' relational needs.
Prior to joining the Boone Center team, Kelly taught as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology at Pepperdine's Seaver College. She earned a BS in Nutrition from Furman University, her MA in Counseling from Covenant Theological Seminary, and a PhD in Family Therapy from Saint Louis University. Kelly is a researcher and speaker on the emotional experience of never-married single women. She has presented at local, state, national, and international conferences on singleness, long-distance dating relationships, eating disorders, and couples' use of communication technologies after infidelity. As a Licensed Professional Counselor, she specializes in women struggling with eating disorders and adults wrestling with undesired singleness.
Kelly and her husband, Adam, have been married since 2016. They attend Risen Church Westside in Santa Monica, CA.
Kelly's Favorite Speaking Topics:
- Equipping young adults for relational success (dating, friendships, boundaries, relational styles, communication & conflict, relationship with family, and relationship with God)
- Helping singles cope with ambiguous loss
- Helping parents and teens understand eating disorders from a faith-based perspective
Program Interns
rIQ Interns are an essential part of our team. This year we are proud to have the following Pepperdine students as interns:
- Matt Abracosa
- Jessa Lebens
- CJ Bergstom
- Austin Berg