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What We Do

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.

Families Thrive

Diversity in Family Therapy

Training at Ackerman

Upcoming Workshops & Short Courses

  • Wounded Parenting: The Intersection of Complex and Racial Trauma in Parents of Color, Part II [Online]

    In part two, presenters continue the discussion on the intersection of complex and racial traumas by deconstructing clinical cases involving parents of color.

    More Information

  • The Intercultural Exeter Model: Constructing Couple Connections across Divides [Online]

    This online workshop will introduce and give opportunities to try out a part of the model. A full training in the Exeter Model has existed in the UK since 2012 (a book on the Intercultural Exeter Model, published by Wiley-Blackwell, is published in 2020); a training DVD, with clips to help illustrate the use of each of its interventions, will accompany this workshop.

    More Information

  • Talking Honestly About Race and Racism [Online]

    This online workshop will introduce participants to the language and facilitation skills to engage in conversation about race and racism with cross-race facilitators who will share experiences and strategies for engaging in difficult cross-racial dialogue.

    More Information

  • Ecoinformed Couple and Family Therapy, Systems Thinking, and Social Justice [Online]

    This workshop will describe key epistemological and social issues contributing to anthropocentrism in our field.

    More Information

  • Erotic Recovery after Infidelity [Online]

    This online workshop will focus on infidelity as an erotic injury to a relationship and takes participants through the steps to repair a committed partnership. This process has three phases of recovery from blame/betrayal to insight and pleasure to a new vision of a more passionate relationship.

    More Information

Research

  • Foster Care and Adoption Project Read More

    Directors: Catherine Lewis, LCSW and Andrea Blumenthal, LCSW

    The Foster Care and Adoption Project (FCAP) integrates ideas from family therapy, interpersonal neurobiology, and trauma studies to develop a model of working with families and agency workers who are impacted by or who interact with families involved with foster care and adoption.

  • The Latino Youth and Family Immigration Project: Dimelo en Español Read More

    Directors: Silvia B. Espinal and Genoveva Garcia

    The Latino Youth and Family Immigration Project (LYIP): Dímelo en Español provides a specialized framework of family therapy to First and Second generation Latino youth and their families. This project is led by family therapists Silvia B. Espinal, LCSW, and Genoveva Garcia, LCSW.

    El Proyecto Juventud y la Familia Latina Inmigrante: Dímelo en Español.

  • The JUSTICE Project Read More

    Directors: Sarah Berland, LCSW and Courtney Zazzali, LCSW

    Nearly seven million Americans are under some form of correctional supervision (incarceration, parole, probation). The JUSTICE Project provides therapeutic support to families involved with or impacted by the criminal justice system.

  • The Gender and Family Project Read More

    Director: Jean Malpas, LMHC, LMFT

    The Gender and Family Project (GFP) empowers youth, families and communities by providing gender affirmative services, training and research. GFP promotes gender inclusivity as a form of social justice in all the systems involved in the life of the family. GFP is directed by Jean Malpas, LMHC, LMFT, who has trained and published nationally and internationally on issues of gender and sexuality.

  • Bright Beginnings Read More

    Director: Martha Edwards, PhD

    Bright Beginnings is a theoretically based intervention for families making the transition to parenthood, consisting of group discussions and parent-child activities. Developed by Dr. Martha Edwards, it is designed to help parents promote their children’s social and emotional development and school readiness through a curriculum that includes a prenatal component for expectant mothers, a group component for parents with their infant or toddler, a video review component, and a home visiting component.

Ackerman News

  • New COVID-19 Grief Group for People of Color 

    This free/sliding scale teletherapy group is for people of color who have lost a loved one due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The group will focus on cultural traditions for the healing of grief and pain. Online meetings begin Monday, September 14th.

    Learn More.

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