Ackerman’s Response to COVID-19

Contents:

  • Statement From Ackerman’s President & CEO
  • COVID-19 Press Coverage
  • Statement Against Racism During COVID-19

Statement from Ackerman’s President & CEO

Dear Ackerman Community,

You and your families are in our daily thoughts, as we join with families and communities around the world in a collective effort to slow, and stop, the spread of the COVID-19 virus. As work, school, and community life are transformed in the face of this pandemic, remaining connected is more important than ever. We are not alone.

While the Ackerman Institute offices are closed, our programming and services continue to operate. We are working and learning from home and actively building virtual community. Our therapy services have transitioned to teletherapy. Our clinicians are available via the telephone and online tools to support families. Our Core Curriculum Training Program has moved to a virtual learning model. Our spring workshops for mental health professionals will be presented live, online. For Ackerman alumni working on the front-line of this crisis, we have multiple formats for community connection and sharing resources.

This is, most certainly, a difficult time and I am especially thinking about the MSW students participating in Ackerman’s Social Work & Diversity Program whose final months of graduate education have been disrupted by campus closures. My heart is with our externs in their final year of training and this special time amongst their Ackerman cohort. I am assured that they will complete the program and move forward with resiliency and commitment to addressing power disparities and injustice in every way possible.

One of the most gratifying experiences for me has been to see how we are coming together to support each other at this time. Ackerman faculty, therapists, trainees, and administration are tackling each challenge with teamwork; and are thinking about the best solutions for the community. It is my honor to be part of this extraordinary undertaking, with this team.

The Ackerman community has transformed overnight and we are here for you and your family, as you balance the new complexities of family, work, and health in the midst of a pandemic. I urge you to consult trusted resources for information about your health and coping strategies.

We will be sharing more updates on Facebook and Instagram, and we invite you to join us there. We are eager to hear from Ackerman alumni and to remain connected with you.
Now, more than ever, let’s join together and embrace our shared human experiences. I stand in solidarity with you and families around the globe who are impacted by this crisis. I wish you and your family good health.

We are in this together.

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Martha Fling
President & CEO
Ackerman Institute for the Family

›› Read this statement on the blog.


COVID-19 Press & Media Coverage:

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Ackerman therapists have given voice in the media to the many challenges that couples and families are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic. [Ackerman Press Page]

Interviews with Ackerman Therapists on COVID-19:

Rituals in the Time of COVID‐19: Imagination, Responsiveness, and the Human Spirit – (Family Process)
Article by Evan Imber-Black, PhD
July 14, 2020

How to Deal With the Psychological Impact of Re-Entering Quarantine – (Well+Good)
July 1, 2020

The Best Advice for the Three Most Common Coronavirus Relationship Issues – (LA Times)
May 28, 2020

Stuck on a Screen, Therapists Rush to Respond to Mental Health Crises Among Foster Youth – (The Chronicle of Social Change)
May 15, 2020

How Do I Get My Neighbors to Respect Social Distancing? – (New York Times)
April 29, 2020

Family Feud: Clashing Over Coronavirus is the New Source of Household Tension, Fighting – (USA Today)
April 9, 2020

Making Plans Defiantly, Amid the Chaos and Madness – (WFMJ)
April 8, 2020

Coronavirus Quarantine: Relationship Space Helps Hold Off ‘Tidal Wave of Divorces’ – (CBS New York)
April 7, 2020

For New Couples, “Want to Quarantine Together?” Is a Relationship Milestone – (Wall Street Journal)
April 1, 2020

Will Divorce Rates Rise With Couples Forced to Spend Time Together? – (Inside Edition)
March 29, 2020

Social Distancing Projects Can Reduce Anxiety – And Trigger it, Too – (Bustle)
March 28, 2020

Couples in Quarantine: Stress, Anxiety, Fear of the Unknown – (AP News)
March 27, 2020

Divorce Rates Jumping in Corona-Quarantined Couples – (Page Six)
March 24, 2020

How to Handle Coronavirus Tension with Relationships and Roommates – (New York Post)
March 18, 2020


Ackerman Stands Against Racism During the COVID-19 Pandemic

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Image: Jia Liang Sun-Wang / via Twitter

The Ackerman Institute for the Family stands alongside Asian and Asian American communities enduring discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As an institute that keeps social justice at the center, we are heartbroken over the narrative that is being perpetuated by some leaders of our country, media outlets, and individuals. Ackerman condemns in the strongest of terms the false discourse, xenophobia, and racism perpetuated towards those from Asian descent. In keeping with the tradition of social justice in family therapy, we ask that everyone continue to commit to addressing power disparities, injustice, and respect in every way possible. [Read Original Post]