About the Ackerman Institute
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.
Mission
Ackerman Institute transforms families through service, training & innovation:
Impact and Outcomes
At Ackerman Institute, we were among the first to approach therapy from a systemic perspective, which views the family as an interconnected unit where the behavior and mental health of one member affect all others. The Ackerman Relational Approach (ARA) is a systemic approach to therapy designed to strengthen and clarify relationships between couples and family members and empower them to envision and create desired lives with the active support of those closest to them.
The success of the Ackerman Relational Approach is not theoretical; it is well- documented. Over the decades, we have helped thousands of families address a range of issues, including:
By the Numbers
By focusing on the family system rather than just the individual, we have developed more effective interventions that lead to lasting change.
Diversity Statement
The Ackerman Institute is a major force in the field of family therapy, providing innovative clinical services, state-of-the-art training programs, cutting-edge research initiatives and professional leadership.
The Ackerman Institute for the Family was founded in 1960 by Dr. Nathan W. Ackerman. Although trained as a classical analyst, Dr. Ackerman broke with this approach after World War II when he began to experiment with seeing patients and their families in a group. He published, taught and showed movies demonstrating this new method, pioneering not only a new type of therapy, but also the tradition of the audiovisual documentation of clinical work that became one of the cornerstones of family therapy training. In 1960, a group of families treated by Dr. Ackerman established a non-profit institute to allow him to expand his training activities.
The Ackerman Institute is a major force in the field of couple and family therapy, providing innovative clinical services, state-of-the-art training programs, cutting-edge research initiatives and professional leadership.
