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.
October Book of the Month | Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent by Pulitzer Prize winner Isabel Wilkerson is Ackerman’s Community Book Club October book of the month. This book was chosen because it describes the racial hierarchy in the United States as a caste system—an unseen infrastructure that tightly holds each group in its place.
Introducing: Ackerman’s Community Book Club
Ackerman’s Community Book Club is a pathway to curiosity. We invite you to read one book each month that explores diversity, equity, and inclusion. The books on our list have been selected with the aim of increasing knowledge, empathy, willingness, and skill to confront xenophobia as therapists, educators, and lifelong learners, in the personal and professional spaces we occupy.
Statement on Athletes and Mental Health
The Ackerman Institute for the Family is standing in solidarity with Simone Biles, Naomi Osaka, and other athletes who have led by example, taking a …
In 2019, 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.
