The AAMFT Podcast

Froma Walsh is an internationally respected leader in the field of MFT and the foremost authority on family resilience, developing a resilience-oriented, community-based approach to strengthen families in crisis. Go behind the model in this episode and learn about Dr. Walsh’s journey from the Peace Corps in Morocco, to finding a home in family therapy, to forming her resilience practice around lived experiences.

Kathleen Laundy, PsyD, LMFT has over 40 years’ experience in private practice and the collaborative educational system. She is the chair of the MFTs in Schools Topical Interest Network and is involved in the Oxford Symposium in School-Based Family Counseling. She discusses how systemic thinking has grown in school systems and how MFTs can produce effective change in schools.

Jill and David Scharff are the founders of the International Psychotherapy Institute and collaborators on many books, most notably Object Relations Couple Therapy. They take us on the journey through their early careers, developing the object relations therapy technique and how it should be integrated into MFT training, starting the IPI, and what has driven them through their decades of work.

Cloe Madanes is a world-renowned teacher and innovator of strategic family therapy. In this episode, she discusses her origin story, her career journey, and her personal and professional relationship with Jay Haley. She shares a story about being hypnotized by Milton Erickson, as well as working with other pioneers of systemic therapy. Finally, she discusses her most recent project of partnering with Tony Robbins to train on strategic intervention.

Erica Hartwell is an associate professor at Fairfield University, where she has launched a certificate program for working with sexual and gender minorities. She is the chair of the Queer and Trans Advocacy Network. In this episode, Erica discusses how to provide affirmative and effective care for clients with a different social identity than you, and how QTAN’s seat at the table can help the profession best support society.

Dr. Alexandra Solomon is a licensed clinical psychologist at The Family Institute at Northwestern University. In this episode, she talks about therapists taking a holistic approach to help clients reclaim their sexuality and to communicate their desires to build satisfying relationships, and why it's important to train young MFTs to become more comfortable dealing with sexual issues in the therapy room.

In a special edition of The AAMFT Podcast, Eli shares his interview with the late Dr. Karen Wampler, a major contributor to the field of marriage and family in the areas of academia and research. They discuss her role as editor-in-chief of the upcoming Handbook of Systemic Family Therapy, into which she poured her immense talents and vision to spearhead this work that will have an enduring impact on the profession.

Katherine Hertlein is a professor at UNLV whose research and publications have been recognized with multiple awards including a Fulbright Scholarship. In this episode, she discusses how technology influences couple and family therapy and how social media, online infidelity, and telehealth impact the delivery of services.

Richard “Dick” Schwartz, PhD, is the creator of the Internal Family Systems model and the founder of the Internal Family Systems Institute. He discusses how the model came together and overcoming the struggles of initial rejection from the field. In an authentic conversation, he reflects on his work and life.

Leslie Anderson, LMFT, and Sheeza Mohsin, LMFT, talk about their experiences as MFT minority students and instructors. They discuss diversity, inclusion, and dialogues about race dynamics in the classroom, how majority groups can model inclusion and use privilege to benefit marginalized communities, and how the profession can attract more minority candidates. Finally, Jermaine Lowery, Director of AAMFT’s Minority Fellowship Program talks about opportunities and eligibility for the fellowship program.