Co-Directors: Laurie Kaplan, LCSW and Sippio Small, LCSW

Although the number of minority families in the U.S. continues to grow towards a predicted 48 percent of the population by 2050, only four percent of family therapists nationally are of minority backgrounds.

The primary goal of the Diversity and Social Work Training Program is to train a critical mass of family therapists of color who are capable of providing family therapy services to the New York area's diverse communities, but also to provide leadership in bringing the family systems perspective to community based social service agencies and graduate training institutions.

Second year social work graduate students begin with a one year internship at Ackerman and continue with a four year advanced post graduate family therapy training program at Ackerman. Partners in the program, the Hunter College School of Social Work and the NYU School of Social Work, report that the Ackerman program is one of the most highly sought after placements. Graduates of the program are moving into leadership positions in community based agencies serving diverse populations.