Organization Overview:
The Ackerman Institute for the Family was founded in 1960 and is one of the premier institutions for family therapy treatment, and one of the most highly regarded training facilities for family therapists in the United States. The Institute serves a diverse population of families at all stages of family life by offering a variety of programs that address a broad range of issues and concerns. The faculty at the Institute have achieved national prominence and earned national awards for the development of innovative approaches to family therapy and professional training.
Over the past ten years, the Center for the Developing Child and Family has enhanced an innovative approach to supervision and consultation called Reflective Group Supervision/ Consultation (RGS-C). In 2019, the model was named a Frontiers of Innovation portfolio project at Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child. This model supports helping professionals understand their client’s needs through curiosity, non- judgment, compassion, and cultural humility. This collaborative process guides professionals to reflect on their own experience and then address the clinical needs of their clients. The model rests on the foundation provided by the Ackerman Relational Approach to family therapy as well as individual reflective supervision practices and emotion-focused and attachment-based therapies.
Position Summary:
The Reflective Practice and Group Supervision Project (RPGS) seeks to expand its team to provide individual and group reflective supervision/consultation to community agencies. We are recruiting up to 4 Fellows to engage in 31 hours of training and supervision in this model. This includes participation in the short course: Growing Professionally, Clinically, and Personally: A Reflective Supervision Group for Supervisors and Emerging Supervisors (Level 1) and RPGS Project meetings.
Qualifications
- Must hold an advanced degree in Social Work, Mental Health Counseling, Psychology, or Marriage and Family Therapy.
- Must have experience working with children and their families, particularly those served by overburdened community-based agencies.
- Demonstrated experience in holding a family system, emotion-focused, reflective practice, and culturally attuned approach to clinical and supervisory work.
- Must desire to learn to do reflective practice and group supervision/consultation.
- Must be well-versed in issues related to race, gender identity, and other areas of marginalization.
- Knowledge and application of the Ackerman Relational Approach and/ or Family Therapy theories.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Strong presentation skills.
- Extremely proficient in Microsoft Office Suite and Zoom.
- Commitment to the Ackerman Institute’s values of inclusion, collaboration, and transparency.
Essential Job Functions:
- Participate in (2) 3-hour sessions and (8) 2-hour monthly sessions of the short course: Growing Professionally, Clinically, and Personally: A Reflective Supervision Group for Supervisors and Emerging Supervisors (Level 1)
- Attend one (1) 2-hour and seven (7) 1-hour monthly RPGS Project meetings.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Work Environment:
- This position will require up to 4 dedicated hours per month.
- This position will be remote.
- This 10-month assignment will be from October 01, 2025, to July 31, 2026.
Compensation:
- Tuition waived for the short course: Growing Professionally, Clinically, and Personally: A Reflective Supervision Group for Supervisors and Emerging Supervisors (Level 1) (a $1,100 value)
- $500 stipend
How to Apply:
To apply, interested persons should submit their applications electronically via email to creynolds@ackerman.org. Your application should include a resume and a cover letter addressed to Christine Reynolds, Director of the Reflective Practice and Group Supervision Project.