Built for this moment.
Train where the field’s best do.
You’re navigating more complexity than ever–more cultural nuance, more relational dynamics, more that traditional frameworks don’t fully address.
The Ackerman Core was rebuilt for exactly this moment.
A newly designed, immersive learning experience for clinicians ready to deepen their practice, expand their perspective, and lead in the evolving field of relational, couples, and family therapy.
Learn from leading faculty in the field–clinicians, educators, and supervisors shaping the future of relational practice with individuals, couples, and families.
60+ Years of Leadership.
Reimagined for Today.
For over 60 years, the Ackerman Institute has trained clinicians who have helped define the field of couple and family therapy.
The Ackerman Core is what that legacy looks like now–rebuilt around:
Therapy Behind the One-Way Mirror
World-Class Faculty
A Multicultural Relational Framework
The Realities of Today’s Clinical Work with Individuals, Couples, and Families
Clinical Work Has Changed.
Training Should Too.
Today’s clinical work is
• More relational
• More culturally complex
• More demanding than ever before
The Ackerman Core is designed around that reality–not for who therapists were trained to be, but for who they need to be now in working with couples, families, and complex relational systems.
Choose Your Training Path
Three pathways. One destination: clinical mastery in relational, couples, and family therapy.
Start where you are. Build what you need.
Seminar Courses
Develop core frameworks and deepen your understanding of relational, couples, and family therapy.
• No prerequisites
• 14-week format
• Fully online
Build a strong foundation in relational practice, with direct application to working with couples and families across diverse contexts.
Starting at $2,500
Live Clinical Training
Observe real therapy sessions, engage with live clinical material, and receive direct supervision in relational, couples, and family therapy.
This is Ackerman’s signature. Few training programs offer direct engagement with live clinical work at this level.
Work directly with cases involving couples and families, strengthening your ability to navigate complex relational dynamics in real time.
Train with faculty who bring real cases, real supervision, and decades of expertise in relational, couples, and family work into the room.
Starting at $3,150
Clinical Fellowship
Engage in advanced training, specialization, and professional growth within a rigorous clinical framework focused on relational, couples, and family therapy.
Refine your clinical voice, deepen your work with complex relational systems, and expand your leadership in the field of couple and family therapy.
Starting at $10,500
An Immersive, Relational Learning Experience
- Real therapy sessions–observed, discussed, and applied
- Small cohort supervision with direct feedback
- A multicultural relational framework integrated throughout
- Skills you can use immediately in your clinical work with individuals, couples, and families
Attend an Information Session
-
Ackerman Core: Training Overview
May 6, 2026
6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Online
Online events are held in Eastern Standard Time (ET). A link will be emailed 1 day before the event.
-
Seminar Courses Information Session
May 14, 2026
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Online
Online events are held in Eastern Standard Time (ET). A link will be emailed 1 day before the event.
-
Ackerman Core: Training Overview
May 16, 2026
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Online
Online events are held in Eastern Standard Time (ET). A link will be emailed 1 day before the event.
What Changes When You Train Here
Strengthen Your Clinical Expertise
Build deeper skills for working with individuals, couples, and families in complex relational systems
Grow Your Professional Practice
Expand your clinical approach with new frameworks and practical tools in relational work
Deepen Your Impact with Clients
Support meaningful, lasting change with greater clarity and confidence
Expand Your Career Opportunities
Position yourself for specialization, leadership, and advancement in couple and family therapy
Build a Sustainable Practice
Develop a practice that is both effective and enduring
More Than Training—A Professional Home
Learn from respected leaders in the field, join a cohort of serious clinicians, build lasting professional relationships, and become part of a global community grounded in relational, couples, and family practice.
Who the Ackerman Core Serves
Emerging Professionals
Build a strong foundation in relational and systemic work with couples and families
Licensed Clinicians
Expand your clinical approach with advanced relational, couples, and family frameworks and deeper practice integration
Couples & Family Practitioners
Strengthen your systemic approach to relational work with couples and families
Experienced Clinicians
Lead in your field–refine your expertise, specialize, and shape the future of relational, couples, and family therapy
Global Learning Community
Train alongside clinicians across the U.S. and internationally-access world-class relational, couples, and family training, wherever you are
The Work Is Relational. Training Should Be Too.
Train in a program designed to challenge, refine, and elevate your clinical practice—alongside clinicians deeply committed to rigorous, relational work.
Cohort-based training. Limited spots. Designed for clinicians ready to do deeper work.