Founded in 1960, The Ackerman Institute for the Family is one of the oldest postgraduate training Institutes in the world. Ackerman provides training for healthcare, human services, educational, and private sector professionals to work with a wide spectrum of families as they meet the challenges of living in today’s society.

The Ackerman Institute’s most comprehensive program, the Core Curriculum sequence, involves a progression from the Foundations in Family Therapy course to the Live Clinical Supervision course to the Clinical Externship in Family Therapy program. Students move sequentially through this curriculum. However, some trainees may elect to take the Foundations and/or Live Clinical Supervision courses only.

Foundations in Family Therapy
An introductory survey course for those who wish to learn about family systems theory and technique. This 30-week course provides the basis for more advanced training in family therapy.

Live Clinical Supervision
A year-long course offering an opportunity for hands-on supervision. Students participate in treating families from behind a one-way mirror with simultaneous supervision. In addition, trainees participate as part of a consultation team that evaluates and plans treatment.

Clinical Externship in Family Therapy
A rigorous clinical and supervisory experience for trainees interested in attaining broad-based expertise in relational family therapy as it applies to couples and families.

Courses
The Institute provides courses in specific areas of interest, including: Breaking Through the Vulnerability Cycle: A Roadmap for Couples Therapy; Treating Adolescents and their Families; Writing for Publication in Couple and Family Therapy; Treating Children and Families with Relational Trauma; Couples Therapy: A Conceptual Map for the Psychoanalytically Trained Clinician; Divorce Mediation; Early Child Development and Parenting Process; and Specialized Course for Physicians, Family Therapists and Allied Health Professionals. This year a new course is available: Practical Techniques in Working with Adolescents and Their Families.

Summer Clinical Practicum
The summer practicum is ideal for those who live too far away to participate on a weekly basis, or for those who want an intensive, month-long, hands-on experience working with families with direct supervision. This brief, intensive training experience makes use of the Institute’s clinic families and teaching faculty in a small group format.

Workshops
The Institute also sponsors several full day workshops each semester. Outstanding teachers from Ackerman and renowned professionals present topics of special interest. Past topics have included: treating couples; alcoholism and the family; parenting issues; chronic illness; and family therapy with adolescents.

In the following pages, you will find a description of the different training opportunities for the upcoming academic year. For all training inquiries, please contact the Training Office at (212) 879-4900, extension 111. Our Dean of Students, Constance Scharf, L.C.S.W., at extension 128, is available to discuss your particular needs and help you select the appropriate program.

Marcia Sheinberg, LCSW
Director of Training and Clinical Services