Ackerman Institute for the Family Timeline
1960
Ackerman Institute for the Family opens
The Ackerman Institute for the Family was founded by
Dr. Nathan W. Ackerman.
1962
Family Process
the Ackerman Institute helped create Family Process,
the first journal dedicated specifically to supporting
academic activities in family therapy.
1972
Donald Bloch
Donald Bloch became the Ackerman Institute’s second director.
Under his leadership, the Institute inaugurated an expanded clinical training program, developed a large family therapy clinic housed at the Institute and initiated a series of projects aimed at creating new approaches to particularly difficult clinical problems
1990
Peter Steinglass
Peter Steinglass became the Ackerman Institute’s third director. The Institute incorporated its projects into five thematic centers that provide training opportunities, programs and services:
- The Center for the Developing Child and Family
- The Center for Families and Health
- The Center for Work and Family
- The Center for Substance Abuse and the Family
- The Center for Children and Relational Trauma
1992
Social Work and Diversity Program
The Ackerman Institute initiated the Social Work and Diversity Program. In the years since then, the Program has graduated a significant number of minority family therapists. Many of these individuals now teach at Ackerman and/or hold positions in community agencies in which they are able to influence policy decisions and clinical practice.
2006
Lois Braverman
Lois Braverman became Ackerman Institute’s fourth president. Under her leadership, the Institute moved from is location of 53 years on the Upper East Side to its current state-of-the-art facility in the Flatiron District. Continuing the tradition of developing new clinical innovations and tackling current dilemmas that families face, new projects emerged including the Gender and Family Project, Children with Special Needs Project, and the Foster Care and Adoption Project.
2018
Gisselle Acevedo
Gisselle Acevedo was appointed the Institute’s fifth president. As President and CEO, Acevedo used her vision and voice to help Ackerman it its mission to serve mental health care professionals and bring innovative perspectives to a broad array of community service agencies and other health care facilities.
2020
Martha Fling
Martha Fling was appointed Ackerman’s sixth president. Martha served on Ackerman’s Board of Directors for eight years, and served as Board Chair from 2015–2020. Martha served as president until January 2024.
2024
Adi Loebl, MD
Adi Loebl, MD, became Ackerman’s seventh president on June 3, 2024.