Fall Workshops
and Webinars
September 16
September 28
October 19
October 21
November 4
November 16
December 2
December 9
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Tune in to Ackerman Podcasts. With approximately 22,000 subscribers, we have listeners in the Americas, Europe, Asia and Australia. Listen to insightful interviews with Ackerman faculty and visiting mental health professionals exploring issues on family therapy.
Listen here:
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The Ackerman Institute's mission is as urgent today as i
t was in 1960, develop
ing
cutting-edge
approaches to treating difficult problems that family members face,
and
training the next generation of family therapists. We are at a time in our history as a country that understanding and actively working to heal ruptures and restore connection is more important than ever. Here at the Institute that is what we do every day with our families-helping them to remain connected in the face of their differences and healing relationship ruptures.
We remain committed to examining deeply the way that societal injustices impact the relationships within the family.
Thanks to our prestigious faculty and alumni, Ackerman's reputation of excellence continues both locally and globally. Please enjoy reading about our incredible work in the pages that follow.
Our dedicated family of board members, faculty, alumni, supporters and friends, have allowed us to advance our critical work on behalf of the children and families.
I am grateful to you for helping us make a difference in the lives of these families Thank you for being part of our family and our community.
I hope you will enjoy a terrific summer!
Warmest Regards,
Lois Braverman
CEO and President
Pronouns: she,her,hers
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 Introducing
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Our Director of Training: Lisa Lavelle
We are delighted to announce that as of Ju
ne 2016, Lisa Lavelle, LCSW, is our new Director of Training and Clinical Services. Lisa began her history at Ackerman as an intern in Ackerman Institute's Social Work and Di
versity Program in 1997 and graduated from the Externship Program in 2001. Lisa has been a member of t
he Ackerman Faculty since 2003, serving as Director of Intake, Foundations Teacher, Live Clinical Supervisor, Externship Supervisor, Community Trainer, and former Co-Director of the Center for Families and Health. Additionally, Lisa has been a lecturer at the Silver School of Social Work at NYU, and at the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College.
Lisa joins the Ackerman's leadership team working closely with the President, faculty, trainees, and administrative staff to create and maintain a culture that fully embraces values of inclusion and collaboration, and continues the Ackerman tradition of excellence in clinical training and practice.
Congratulations, Lisa, we welcome you in this position with open arms!
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Ackerman Honors
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Honoring 24 Years of Service and Counting: Marcia Sheinberg
Our deep gratitude to
Marcia Sheinberg
for her many years of service as Director of Training and Clinical Services. Marcia made her largest and most significant contribution to the field of family therapy in the area of relationship trauma. She greatly influenced the Externship Training Program with the development of the Ackerman Relational Approach (ARA), a system that has become the foundation of our clinical work as it is dynamic, replicable, and applicable to all clinical areas of family therapy study.
Marcia will move into a new role as Senior Fellow where she will be available to faculty for clinical and institutional consultations, provide trainings and workshops, and continue her clinical project.
Thank you, Marcia, for your many contributions to the Ackerman Institute.
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Advising Director of Race & Social Justice: thandiwe Dee Watts-Jones
Beginning September 2015, thandiwe Dee Watts-Jones began her new position as the
Advising Director on Race & Social Justice at the Ackerman Institute. She serves as consultant/ advisor in the training program making recommendations for enhancing diversity, and integrating the role of race/racism and other forms of oppression in the training and teaching at Ackerman.
Faculty, trainees, and staff may consult about race related issues directly with thandiwe Dee at dwattsjones@ackerman.org or at 212-879-4900 ext. 314.
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Ackerman Institute 2016 Gala
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Save the Date: October 24, 2016
Moving Families Forward Gala
Honoring:
Blair Brewster
Former Member, Board of Directors
Ackerman Distinguished Service Award
Gary Mendell
Founder & CEO, Shatterproof.org
Moving Families Forward Award
The Waldorf Astoria
301 Park Avenue
New York City
Information/Inquiries 914-579-1000
AckermanGala@BuckleyHallEvents.com
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Congratulations!
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2016 Graduating Class
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Billy Benson, Arnie Angerman, Courtney Stursberg, Lisa Lavelle (Director of Training), Tara Starin-Basi, Cassandra Richmond, Yael Schlenger
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The Ackerman Institute for the Family hosted its 2016 graduation ceremony on July 20, 2016. Nine graduates received their certificates of completion of the Clinical Externship Program in Family Therapy in front of their families, friends, and their clinical supervisors.
We extend our heartfelt congratulations to this year's graduates: Arnie Angerman
, Amy Bauman, Miriam Denmark
, Mika Kallner, Hope Kelaher
, Cassandra Richmond, Yael Schlenger
, Tara Starin-Basi, Courtney Stursberg
For more pictures and coverage of the ceremony visit:
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2016 Ackerman Institute Social Work and Diversity Program Interns
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Sippio Smalls (Co-Director) Jennifer Rodriguez, Gregg Payne, Monique Evans, Alivia Curl, Laura Lee, Tyrone Carver, Laurie Kaplan (Co-Director)
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Congratulations to 2016's Social Work and Diversity Program Interns!
For more information about this program, visit: Ackerman.org
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Annual Spring Conference
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Deepening Clinical Practice:
Race in Couple and Family Therapy
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Charles Blow, thandiwe Dee Watts-Jones
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The Ackerman Institute's Annual Spring
Conference,
Deepening Clinical Practice: Race in Couple and Family Therapy, held on Friday, May 13,
was an
outsta
nding success. This year's groundbreaking conference reached outside the boundaries of family therapy. The morning plenary featured the sociopolitical commentary of
Charles Blow
in conversation with family therapy theorist and practitioner,
thandiwe Dee Watts-Jones
. It was followed by a presentation of the work of the Multi-Racial Family Project by
Dorimar Morales
,
Mary Kim Brewster
, and
Keren Ludwig
. In the afternoon, renowned Ackerman faculty conducted original workshops on how to enhance family therapy practice by bringing the invisible issues of race into the consulting room.
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Board Announcements
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Board Leadership:
Introducing Ackerman Institute's New Board Members
Harriet Habert
, Managing Director & Director
of
Marketing for Hollis Park Partners. She brings new energy and expertise in the field of finance and marketing. March 2016.
Dan Rocker
graduated from the
Exte
rnship Program in
2015. Prior to earning his MSW from NYC in 2010 and setting up his private practice, Dan had extensive experience in the field of finance. Dan brings his enthusiasm and volunteer knowledge to our leadership. September 2015.
Leslie Roberts
graduated from the Externship Program in 2015. Leslie brings a great deal of knowledge of the non-profit field from her experience as a volunteer and founder and executive director of Protected Paws. September 2015.
Debbie Werner
, graduated from the Externship in 2013. Soc
ial work is a second career for Debbie, and volunteerism a third career. She is not only a boar
d member (December 2014), but she has taken a leadership position as the Chair of the Development Committee, and Co-Chair of Ackerman's annual gala.
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Alumni News
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Alumni Lectures
This last academic year, the Alumni Association featured a series of well-attended lectures with timely subjects of interest:
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Faculty News
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Faculty Publications and Presentations
Acker
man Faculty members are active participants in the a
cademic community. For a full list of recent Ackerman faculty publications and presentations, visit our
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Ackerman Online
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Connect with Us:
You can connect with the Ackerman Institute online community by liking our Facebook page, following us on Twitter, and by subscribing to our YouTube Channel:
We look forward to hearing from you!
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Center for the Developing Child and Family
Competent Kids, Caring Communities has
"Aged Down" to Early Childhood!
Competent Kids, Caring Communities (CKCC), Ackerman Institute's social-emotional learning program for elementary-schools, is about to roll out its newly-developed, literacy-based early childhood edition. The program is designed to fit seamlessly and organically into early childhood settings through providing 30 "read-aloud" picture books. Each book focuses on a particular social-emotional skill such that, as a whole, the program address all of the five Pre-Kindergarten level Social-Emotional Common Core Standards: Adaptability; Self-Concept and Self-Awareness; Self-Regulation; Relationships with Others; and Accountability.
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Gender & Family Project
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Jean Malpas,
Geena Rocero, Sydney Lucas, Javier Muñoz, Lois Braverman
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The Gender & Family Project (GFP)'s
third annual benefit, A Night of A Thousand Genders, was held at City Winery on April 11, 2016.
Alan Cumming
,
Andrew Solomon
, and model
Geena Rocero
, were the hosts and honorary chairs for the evening. Evening performers included J
avier Muñoz (Hamilton)
,
Alex Newell (Glee)
, and violinist
Tona Brown
(first openly trans African American performer at Carnegie Hall). GFP reached its fundraising goal of $250,000! Apart from being a financial success, the night also served as a cherished community gathering for our project families and transgender and gender non-conforming community members.
An Ally and member of the GFP community,
Leo Pawlika
, hosted "Pucks for Pride," at the Ice House in Hackensack, NJ. This fundraising event brought together young members of the hockey community in eastern New Jersey to learn more about the crucial, life-saving work of GFP. Pucks for Pride raised more than $13,000, exceeding its initial fundraising goal of $5,000.
For the second year, GFP joined NYC's LGBT Pride Parade on June 26, 2016, with a float co-sponsored by Bank of America. GFP's slogan, Pride is for Kids, Too, celebrates the beauty and resilience of gender expansive children, transgender youth and their families.
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Foster Care and Adoption Project
The Foster Care and Adoption Project
works to create change for children and families involved in the foster care system. To that end, we launched a monthly consultation group for supervisors and administrators of key foster care agencies in New York City, such as the Jewish Board, New Alternatives for Children, Cardinal McKloskey, Bronx Defenders and Casa, who altogether, impact over 365 children in their care. This year alone the Project trained 298 mental health professionals, agency workers, lawyers, judges, and referees working within the foster care system on our systemic-relational, trauma-informed approach.
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The JUSTICE Project
In its first operational year,
The JUSTICE Project has focused its efforts on outreach, the development of partnerships, and conducting a needs assessment to learn more about the structures and policies of the criminal justice system. The Project will begin a tele-therapy program this summer at the New York Initiative for Children of Incarcerated Parents at The Osborne Association. Osborne's tele-visitation program enables children with a parent residing at select jails to video visit with their incarcerated parent from Osborne's Brooklyn offices.
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Thank you for your continued support.
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