The AAMFT Podcast

Fred P. Piercy, PhD, is professor and head of the Department of Human Development at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Dr. Piercy has won both national and university teaching awards. He has written over 160 published articles, 5 books, and 35 funded grants. Dr. Piercy served as the editor of the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy from 2012-2017. In this episode, Dr. Piercy discusses how he first gained interest in the profession and what led him to be an MFT. He begins with his journey into Academia and his favorite thing he has ever written. Fred explains how research shaped the MFT field over the years and the future of doctoral education. Lastly, he talks about the many lessons that he has learned from his students.

Dr. Toni Zimmerman is an expert on all things AAMFT Supervision. She has directed the CSU Family Therapy program for almost 25 years. She has won many awards in her academic career and she is a staple in the Fundamentals of Supervision training program at AAMFT. Eli sits down with Toni to discuss the trends in MFT Supervision and her impact in the field. She first discusses her origin story and some of the biggest changes in the field since she started, including a discussion about video supervision. She gives advice to supervisees on how to have difficult conversations with their supervisor when there may be an issue. And she provides tips on how to interview potential Supervisors.Lastly, Toni goes into to details about the AAMFT Approved Supervisor Designation and how it excels over other programs.

Guy Diamond is the Professor Emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Associate Professor at Drexel University in the College of Nursing and Health Professions. Along with his co-authors, Drs. Gary Diamond and Suzanne Levy, Dr. Diamond has written the first book on ABFT, Attachment-Based Family Therapy for Depressed Adolescents. In this episode, Eli chats with Guy about how he discovered attachment styles and how he would describe his own attachment style based on his family origin. Guy dives into the biggest eye openers and challenges that he faced when he began his career. He then discusses his research findings and how it has benefited the field. Lastly, Guy Diamond talks about his projects and what he hopes to contribute to the future of the field.

Terry Real is the founder of the Relational Life Institute, a family therapist and teacher for 30 years, and an author of many popular books including his breakout book “I Don’t Want to Talk About It”. In this episode, Terry discusses how his family dynamics led him to pursue therapy and details how his father and other life experiences  brought him to working with men specifically facing mental health issues. He also discusses the three types of narcissism that are attributed to men and the ways to disarm them. In the last moments, he discusses his shift to couples and where he thinks the field of couple therapy is headed. Finally, he discusses how he wants to be remembered in the field.

Dr. Ben Caldwell is part of the faculty at California State Northridge, an author of five books, and the chair of the Legislative and Advocacy Committee for the California division of AAMFT.In a discussion about advocacy and his thoughts on the MFT profession, Eli and Ben talk about his origin story as an MFT and how he started his work in advocacy. He expresses why advocacy should be important to students and young professionals, and discusses how MFTs can help change the stigma of going to therapy. Lastly, he talks about the biggest changes and trends in the field.

Michele Weiner-Davis is an internationally renowned relationship expert, best-selling author, and professional speaker that specializes in helping people change their lives and improve important relationships. Eli sits down with Michele and discusses her own struggles that made her a better therapist, parent, and spouse. She discusses her origin story and discusses who her biggest influences were in her career. Michele recalls her own personal experience with receiving therapy and the benefit that it had on her career. Lastly, Michele discusses some of the new programs and books she has coming out that address infidelity in couples.

Diane Gehart is a professor of Marriage and Family Therapy at California State University Northridge and has practiced psychotherapy for over 15 years. Eli sits down with Diane to discuss mindfulness and the benefits it has in the MFT field. She discusses her career journey and how mindfulness played a part in her career. She provides her definition of mindfulness and differentiates it from other approaches like “flow”. Diane also discusses her approach to teaching mindfulness to her students and their reaction to this approach. Lastly, Diane talks about her thoughts on the future of mindfulness and how it should continue to be integrated in the field.

Dr. Monica McGoldrick is the Co-Founder and Director of the Multicultural Family Institute. She is also the author of many popular books, including “Genograms: Assessment and Intervention,” and "Women in Families," just to name a few!

In this episode, Eli sits down with Monica to discuss her life, her journey, and her many accomplishments as a family therapist.

Listen in as Monica discusses her career journey, from finishing her degree in Russian Studies to being known as a pioneer in the field. She also discusses her process of writing her widely popular Genogram book and her collaboration on expanding the Family Life Cycle framework. Finally, Monica will discuss her views on the evolution of the field and how she views her personal legacy.

Dr. Manijeh Daneshpour is an LMFT with over 20 years of academic research and clinical experience centered around multiculturalism, social justice, premarital and marital relationships of Muslim family dynamics. Eli sits down with Manijeh as she tells powerful stories about her family of origin and her work with clients as it pertains to multiculturalism and cultural diversity. She discusses how being the only girl in an all-boys school has shaped her for her future. She defines what a third-wave feminist is and how it shaped her approach to the classic models of therapy.  Lastly, she discusses what factors are important for the field to move forward in cultural competency. 

In this episode, Eli interviews Tim Dwyer, President of AAMFT, and Steve Harris, Editor of JMFT about their background and journey through the field. They discuss their visions for the future of AAMFT and the Journal, and how their work benefits the members of AAMFT and the field of marriage and family therapy.

First to be interviewed is, Dr. Steve Harris. He discusses the topics he would like to add to the JMFT catalog and the excitement of the upcoming edition of effectiveness. He provides ways for members to get more involved in the journal especially students. Later, Dr. Tim Dwyer describes his trajectory of leadership under AAMFT and the leadership qualities that he brings to the table. He goes into detail about what he does as the president of AAMFT and the things he is excited to see in the future. Get to know more about these two leaders in the field.