Ackerman Institute for the Family

Ackerman Institute for the Family One of the premier institutions for family therapy, training, and research in the US. Serving families since 1960.

For clinicians who work with couples, desire discrepancy can be one of the most challenging, and most common issues to n...
09/16/2026

For clinicians who work with couples, desire discrepancy can be one of the most challenging, and most common issues to navigate.

In Desire Discrepancy in Couples: A Relational Approach to Assessment & Treatment, Dr. Candice Cooper-Lovett will help participants move beyond a pathology-based view of “mismatched libido” and instead understand the relational patterns, attachment dynamics, shame, and meaning that may be shaping the couple’s experience.

This 3-hour workshop will offer practical frameworks and interventions for assessment and treatment, including responsive desire, the Good Enough model, negotiated initiation and scheduling, and somatic strategies that can support greater relational safety and connection.

September 25, 2026
10:00 AM–1:00 PM ET
Online
3 CE Contact Hours

Especially relevant for therapists, social workers, psychologists, marriage and family therapists, s*x therapists, and clinicians working with couples.

Learn more and register: https://www.ackerman.org/events/desire-discrepancy-in-couples/?

09/15/2026

Enjoying this gorgeous day at the New York Botanical Garden? Come say hi to Ackerman! 🌿

We’re at the ACANY Community Networking Event today in the Bronx.
The event is free and open from 10 AM–2 PM.
Find us at Table 21.

📍 Entrance: 2950 Southern Blvd, Bronx, NY
Stop by, meet our team, and learn more about Ackerman’s services and resources for couples and families.

Today, we pause to remember the lives lost on September 11, 2001, and to honor the families, loved ones, first responder...
09/11/2026

Today, we pause to remember the lives lost on September 11, 2001, and to honor the families, loved ones, first responders, and communities forever changed by that day.

We also remember the extraordinary courage, compassion, and connection that emerged in the face of tragedy.

At the Ackerman Institute for the Family, we remain mindful of the lasting impact that collective trauma can have on individuals, families, and communities—and of the importance of relationships, support, and healing over time.

We remember.

Today is World Su***de Prevention Day.Changing the narrative around su***de starts with compassion, connection, and conv...
09/10/2026

Today is World Su***de Prevention Day.

Changing the narrative around su***de starts with compassion, connection, and conversation.

Sometimes support begins with something simple: noticing a change, asking a direct question, listening without judgment, and helping someone connect to the care they need.

At Ackerman, we believe relationships can be powerful sources of support, hope, and healing.

***dePreventionDay ***dePrevention

It’s not always a lack of love. Sometimes, it’s a mismatch of desire.Desire discrepancy is one of the most common concer...
09/08/2026

It’s not always a lack of love. Sometimes, it’s a mismatch of desire.

Desire discrepancy is one of the most common concerns couples bring into therapy, but it does not have to be approached as a problem within one individual.

In Desire Discrepancy in Couples: A Relational Approach to Assessment & Treatment, Dr. Candice Cooper-Lovett will help clinicians move beyond a pathology-based view of “mismatched libido” and instead examine the relational patterns shaping the couple’s experience.

Participants will explore:

• Pursuer–distancer dynamics
• Shame and attachment-related conflict
• The meaning each partner assigns to the desire gap
• Negotiated initiation and scheduling practices
• Somatic and co-regulation interventions
• Ways to rebuild relational safety and connection

September 25, 2026
10:00 AM–1:00 PM ET
Live Online
3 CE Contact Hours
Tuition: $125

AASECT-approved for 3 CE credits.

Learn more and register: https://www.ackerman.org/events/desire-discrepancy-in-couples/?

If you’ve completed an EFT Externship and are looking for the next step in your training, Emotionally Focused Therapy (E...
09/02/2026

If you’ve completed an EFT Externship and are looking for the next step in your training, Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) Core Skills, Extended offers an in-depth opportunity to strengthen your practice through hands-on learning.

Led by Elana Katz, LCSW, LMFT and George Faller, LMFT, this small-group course consists of four two-day workshops focused on the core skills essential to the practice of EFT.

Topics include:

• Assessment and identifying the negative cycle
• Cycle de-escalation
• Withdrawer re-engagement
• Pursuer softening

Each segment includes instruction, role play, observation of a live interview, and consultation. Participants will also present a short video clip of their own work as part of the course.

September 17, 2026 – January 8, 2027
Live Online
48 CE Contact Hours

Prerequisite: Completion of an EFT Externship

This is a wonderful opportunity for clinicians who want to deepen their confidence, skill, and application of EFT in a supportive learning environment.

Learn more and register: https://www.ackerman.org/events/emotionally-focused-therapy-eft-core-skills-extended-2026-2027/?

September is Su***de Prevention Month.Every life is precious. Every person matters.This month is an opportunity to check...
09/01/2026

September is Su***de Prevention Month.

Every life is precious. Every person matters.

This month is an opportunity to check in, listen a little more closely, and remind the people around us that they are seen and valued.

You may not always know what someone is carrying. A thoughtful message, a moment of connection, or simply showing up can matter more than you realize.

You are not alone.
You are seen.
Your life has value.

Let’s keep showing up for one another. 💙

***dePreventionMonth

What do you bring into the therapy room?Every clinician brings a self into the work, identity, history, culture, lived e...
09/01/2026

What do you bring into the therapy room?

Every clinician brings a self into the work, identity, history, culture, lived experience, assumptions, presence, and perspective.

In The Self of the Therapist in Clinical Practice: A Multicultural Relational Perspective, renowned clinician, author, and educator Dr. Kenneth V. Hardy explores the Self of the Therapist as a powerful framework for strengthening clinical practice.

This 14-week online seminar helps clinicians deepen self-awareness, strengthen clinical engagement, and develop strategies for navigating therapeutic ruptures, defensiveness, escalation, race, identity, culture, and difficult conversations with greater clarity and intention.

Fall 2026 Seminar Course
Fully online
Tuesdays, 4:00–7:00 PM ET
Starts September 15
42 CE credits
No prerequisites

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

08/28/2026

In today’s rapidly changing world, couples and families are navigating increasingly complex realities shaped by culture, identity, migration, global conflict, climate change, technology, and shifting family forms.

For clinicians, this complexity can create real dilemmas in the therapy room.

But as Dr. Reenee Singh shares, it also creates opportunities: to bridge differences, strengthen relationships, and foster resilience.

In Practical Strategies for Working with Contemporary Couples and Families, Dr. Singh offers clinicians practical systemic tools for working across difference with greater confidence, awareness, and intention.

Fall 2026 Seminar Course
Fully online
Thursdays, 1:00–4:00 PM ET
Starts September 17
42 CE credits

Comment RESILIENCE and we’ll send you more information.

Your clients are navigating complex relationships in a rapidly changing world.Culture, identity, migration, religion, la...
08/26/2026

Your clients are navigating complex relationships in a rapidly changing world.

Culture, identity, migration, religion, language, class, family structure, and social expectations are not just background details — they shape what happens in the room.

In **Practical Strategies for Working with Contemporary Couples and Families**, Dr. Reenee Singh introduces innovative systemic tools to help clinicians work across cultural, relational, and societal differences with greater confidence, awareness, and intention.

Participants will explore systemic and intercultural frameworks, clinical material, research insights, and experiential learning designed to support resilience in contemporary couples and families.

Fall 2026 Seminar Course
Fully online
Thursdays, 1:00–4:00 PM ET
Starts September 17
42 CE credits
No prerequisites

Explore the seminar:
https://www.ackerman.org/training/seminar-course-singh/

Address

936 Broadway Fl 2
New York, NY
10010

Telephone

+12128794900

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