Ackerman Institute for the Family

Build your foundation in family therapy.

Many clinicians are trained to work with individuals, but have fewer opportunities to formally study families as systems.

In **Foundations in Family Therapy**, Molly Bobek, LCSW introduces core concepts in relational and systemic thinking, helping participants strengthen the way they understand relationships, patterns, context, and change.

This Fall 2026 seminar is fully online and designed for therapists and helping professionals ready to deepen their relational lens.

Course Details
Fully online
Mondays, 5:00–8:00 PM ET
Starts September 14
No prerequisites

Explore the seminar:
https://www.ackerman.org/training/foundations-in-family-therapy/

Families today are navigating cultural transitions, migration, identity, loss, trauma, and changing social expectations.

In **Therapeutic Tools for Cultivating Resilience with Contemporary Couples and Families**, Dr. Reenee Singh explores systemic resilience and intercultural family therapy, helping clinicians work across difference with greater confidence, humility, and intention.

This Fall 2026 seminar offers practical tools for supporting couples and families as they navigate complexity, change, and resilience in contemporary relational life.

Explore Dr. Singh’s seminar:
https://www.ackerman.org/training/seminar-course-singh/

Curious about what it’s really like to train at Ackerman?

Join us online for Ackerman Core: FREE Training Overview on August 4 from 12:00–1:00 PM ET.

This information session will provide an overview of Ackerman’s Fall 2026 training pathways, including:

Seminar Courses

Live Clinical Training

Clinical Fellowship

Prospective students will learn how each pathway supports the development of relational clinicians, hear more about our faculty, and gain clarity on which option best aligns with their professional goals.

There will also be time for questions and conversation, so you can make an informed decision about your next step.

Ackerman Core: Training Overview

August 4, 2026

12:00–1:00 PM ET

Online

Register today: https://www.ackerman.org/events/ackerman-core-training-overview-8-4/?

The most powerful tool in the room is you!

Every clinician brings something into the therapy room: identity, lived experience, assumptions, presence, and perspective.

In The Self of the Therapist in Clinical Practice: A Multicultural Relational Perspective, Dr. Kenneth V. Hardy explores the Self of the Therapist framework and how who we are directly shapes the clinical work we do.

Clinical growth begins when we become more aware of ourselves in the therapeutic process.

Explore Dr. Hardy’s Fall 2026 seminar:
https://www.ackerman.org/training/seminar-course-hardy/

What does it mean to work relationally?

At Ackerman, relational work means looking beyond the individual and considering the relationships, family patterns, culture, and larger systems shaping a person’s experience.

This lens helps create space for understanding, connection, and change — whether we are working with families in therapy, training clinicians, or offering continuing education for professionals.

Because healing does not happen in isolation.
It happens in context.
It happens in relationships.

Learn more about Ackerman’s approach to therapy, training, and continuing education. https://www.ackerman.org/about-us/our-history/

Looking to enhance your clinical work but not sure which Ackerman seminar is the right fit for you?

We created a quick assessment to help you explore which Fall 2026 Seminar Course best aligns with your clinical interests, professional goals, and next stage of growth.

Whether you’re interested in deepening your use of self in clinical practice, strengthening your work with couples and families, or building a stronger foundation in systemic thinking, there’s a seminar designed to support your learning journey.

✅ All seminar courses offer 42 CE credits
📅 Priority Review Deadline: July 15, 2026

Take the assessment today: https://www.ackerman.org/find-my-seminar/

Early relationships shape lifelong development.

Join us at Ackerman Institute for **Bright Beginnings: Parent-Infant/Toddler Group Component Training**, a 3-day in-person course designed for professionals working with infants, toddlers, and caregivers.

Created by **Martha E. Edwards, PhD**, Bright Beginnings is a research-based parent-child group curriculum designed to help caregivers support children’s mental health, school readiness, and healthy development.

Participants will learn how to:

• Strengthen parent-child relationships
• Observe attachment, exploration, learning, and guidance in parent-child interactions
• Facilitate parent-child groups with greater confidence
• Use the Bright Beginnings Manual, which includes 36 detailed session guides for children ages 2–36 months

This training is ideal for mental health professionals, social workers, parent educators, home visitors, Early Head Start and Head Start staff, early childhood specialists, and family support professionals.

📅 August 6, 7 & 10, 2026
🕤 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM daily
📍 In-Person at Ackerman Institute for the Family, NYC
🎓 16.5 CE Contact Hours

Learn more & register:
https://www.ackerman.org/events/bright-beginnings/

Because of donors like you, families are finding stability, healing, and hope.

If you've been thinking about giving, today is the day: ackerman.org/donate

Thank you for believing in what's possible when families have the support they need.