Moving Families Forward
Training
One of most highly regarded training facilities for family therapists in the United States.Therapy
We deliver couple and family therapy services for families of all backgrounds, at all stages of life.Research
Ackerman's clinical research projects & centers respond to the changing needs of families.Helping Families Thrive
Founded in 1960, the Ackerman Institute for the Family is one of the premier institutions for family therapy and one of the best-known and most highly regarded training facilities for family therapists in the United States. The Institute serves families from all walks of life at all stages of family life.
Our programming and services continue to operate while the Ackerman offices are closed. Our therapy services have transitioned to teletherapy, and our training programs are now held online. Read Ackerman’s COVID-19 Action Plan.
Core Curriculum
This 30-week introductory course is for those who wish to learn about family systems theory and technique. This course provides the foundation for more advanced training in family therapy. Learn more…
This 30-week course offers the opportunity for hands-on supervision. Trainees participate as part of a consultation team that evaluates and plans treatment. Learn more…
Trainees take both Foundations of Family Therapy & Live Clinical Supervision the same year. Learn more…
Community Training
Workshops
Ackerman’s online workshops are interactive, easy to attend, and provide top-tier training from innovative and diverse leaders in the field of family and couple therapy.
Short Courses
Ackerman Short Courses are multi-day intensive trainings that explore a variety of topics in the field of couple and family therapy.
The Ackerman Distinguished Family Therapy Lecture Series is designed to contribute to conversations on advances and opportunities in family therapy training. Lectures are free, open to the public, and aim to raise awareness of critical issues affecting families and society today.
The Future of Live Supervision: Marlene F. Watson Speaks with Psychotherapy Networker
Ackerman’s Director of Training, Marlene F. Watson, PhD spoke with Psychotherapy Networker about the future and business of live clinical supervision. In the article, The New Supervision: Are We Meeting the Needs of Today’s Therapists?, Dr. Watson explains that Ackerman’s nonprofit model allows for in-depth therapeutic training that is becoming exceedingly rare in today’s educational climate.
Read Our 2020-2021 Impact Report
The last 18 months have been like no other in our history. Read about the Ackerman Institute’s impact on families, therapists, and communities. You, our community, our donors, and partners, have helped thousands of children and families through this crisis. Thank you for your continued support of our mission.
November Book of the Month | Tesoro by Yesika Salgado
Tesoro by Yesika Salgado is Ackerman’s Community Book Club November book of the month. The author, a Salvadorian-American writer, is a two-time National Poetry Slam finalist and the recipient of the 2020 International Latino Book Award in Poetry. A self-described “fat, fly, and brown poet and activist,” Salgado writes about “her family, her culture, her city, and her fat brown body.” Each poem in Tesoro glimpses into the complexity and multidimensionality of forging an identity as a Latina growing up in the stigmatized and racialized US society.
In 2020-21, The Ackerman Institute for the Family:
Supporting Diversity in Family Therapy
Created in 1992, Ackerman Institute’s Social Work & Diversity Program has trained more than 100 therapists of color. The program is partnered with with the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College, the NYU Silver School of Social Work and the Columbia School of Social Work.
Graduates of the program are working locally and nationally in community agencies, hospitals and academic institutions.
