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Fam Proc 10:111-121, 1971

A Review of Family Therapy, Training, and Study in the San Francisco

Bay Area
ARTHUR M. BODIN, PH.D.a
aMENTAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA

General Availability of Family Therapy

Family therapy in the San Francisco Bay Area is widely accepted and is available from a broad spectrum of agencies,
institutions, and private practitioners. Training programs in family therapy have proliferated both in centers focusing on
family therapy and in general psychotherapy programs since the Mental Research Institute began training family therapists
in 1959. Follow-up questionnaires analyzed from a sub-sample drawn from more than eight hundred professionals who
have studied family therapy at MRI showed widespread acceptance of former family therapy trainees in an increasingly
broad range of roles. Because family therapy has so deeply permeated the mental health programs and institutions of the
area, the list that follows represents only a portion of the local family therapy activity. The list was compiled on four bases:
1) responses to an invitation to submit program descriptions that was circulated to all members of the Association of Family
Therapists, 2) program brochures the author had previously collected, 3) listings in the Directory of Social Agencies and
Services compiled and published by the Social Planning Council of Santa Clara County, and 4) personally invited
descriptions from program directors known to the author but not detailed in the foregoing three sources. Listings from the
third source, being briefer than the others, are grouped together alphabetically as items 11-18. It is likely that a number of
excellent family therapy programs were not picked up by this four-fold net; they may be included in future issues of Family
Process by writing to: Lyman C. Wynne, M.D., Family Affairs Editor, Family Process, Clinical Center, NIMH, Bethesda,
Maryland 20014.

Institutions and Organization

1. Association of Family Therapists:
In the fall of 1963, a group of family therapists began to have monthly meetings devoted to discussion and clinical
presentation of families.
In the spring of 1964, this group drew up a constitution and bylaws thus becoming, to the best of our knowledge, the first
group of family therapists in the nation to set up such a formal organization.
From the outset, our focus has been to minimize the organizational aspects of the group and concentrate on providing
free exchange of knowledge and experience in the field of family therapy. Our membership criteria were drawn up so as to
minimize professional hierarchical problems that seemed to inhibit freedom of exchange in other professional
organizations. In our disavowal of membership as tantamount to certification, we were attempting to recognize that family
therapy is, in fact, practiced by people having a great variety of professional skills.
Our primary intent, as an organization, is to enhance the skills of all practitioners and to promote scientific investigation
and discussion of the family.
The current officers are: President: Arthur Bodin, Ph.D.; President-Elect: Joan Herrick, M.S.W.; Secretary: Johanna
Renssen, A.C.S.W.; Membership Chairman: Wilma Buckman, M.S., M.S.W.; Program Chairman: Barbara Sherman,
M.S.W.; Treasurer: Florence Hagee, M.S.W.; Past President: Alan Leventon, M.D. Association business should be
addressed to Dr. Arthur Bodin, 555 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto, Calif. 94301. Telephone: (415) 328-3000.

2. Family and Educational Therapy Center:

The Family and Educational Therapy Center, located in the Sierra Miguel Professional Center at Walnut Creek, was
founded in 1967 and became a nonprofit corporation in 1968. The Center was established to provide therapeutic services
for adults and children who are experiencing problems of emotional adjustment, learning difficulties, or disturbances of
growth and development.
The staff consists of a psychiatrist, two psychologists, two educators, and a program coordinator. The Center provides
group workshops for youngsters from pre-school age through high school and group workshops and individual therapy for
adults. Children are referred to the Center by pediatricians, school personnel, social services, and juvenile courts with
varying diagnoses ranging from autistic-like behavior, active psychosis, severe behavioral problems, and drug use to milder

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adjustment reactions and severe to moderate learning difficulties.

Starting with the initial visit parents are asked to participate in the therapy program, and all family members are seen in
family therapy. As various areas of concern emerge, the individual has the opportunity to move out of the family therapy
group and deal with his specific problem. For example, if a youngster has a learning disability, he may move into a group
with other youngsters who, despite severe difficulties, are discovering that academic learning is possible.
Staff members are: F. George Kassenbaum, M.D.; Gladys Kassenbaum, M.A.; Sharie L. Berliant, M.S.; Elizabeth L. Van
Dalsem, Ed.D.; and Jeanne Sharp, B.A. The Center's address is: 1818 San Miguel Drive, Walnut Creek, Calif. Telephone:
(415) 939-6641.

3. Family Therapy Center:

History: The Family Therapy Center is a private practice group begun by Alan F. Leveton, M.D. and Ben Handleman,
M.S.W. in 1966. It now has a staff of seven therapists, including a videotape camerman and movement class teacher.
Services: Conjoint family therapy is a primary mode of treatment. There are multiple couples groups and individual
patient groups. The Center has had a special interest in evaluating children with specific learning disorders and offers
tutorial services for children with minimal brain dysfunction, as well as other academic problems. The staff have an eclectic
approach that reflects their clinical experience as well as extensive contact with Virginia Satir, Fritz Perls, psychodrama,
videotape techniques, and sensory awareness activities.
Training: The directors and staff have offered several workshops in family therapy, beginning with four one-day
communications workshops, a twenty-hour intermediate course, and currently a thirty-hour intermediate course. These have
used observations of families in treatment, simulation of families in treatment, and Gestalt techniques to cover topics of
family diagnosis, understanding family systems, and teaching therapeutic possibilities.
Information: Requests for more information should be directed to either Dr. Leventon or Mr. Handleman in care of the
Family Therapy Center, 3529 Sacramento Street, San Francisco, California 94118. Telephone: (415) 922-4815.

4. Family Therapy Institute of Marin:

This is a private organization that offers conjoint family treatment and training in family therapy. The directors of the
Institute are Shirley Luthman, A.C.S.W. and Martin Kirschenbaum, Ph.D. Martin G. Blinder, M.D., is the Medical Director
of the Institute.
Other members of the staff are: Martin Cohen, Ph.D.; Charles R. Dillon, M.S.W.; Betsy Hand, R.N.; Dorothy Kaye Hall,
A.C.S.W.; Carmen Lynch, P.S.W.; Armondo Maliano; Phyllis M. Newman, Ph.D.; Estelle Resnick, Ph.D.; John
Valdhuizen, M.A.; Cynthia Werthman, A.C.S.W. A wide range of therapeutic options are offered to the family coming for
treatment such as: marital therapy, marital group therapy, individual group therapy, individual therapy, adolescent group
therapy. The staff is knowledgeable about a great variety of methods and techniques such as Gestalt, conjoint family
therapy, encounter and the use of co-therapy teams.
The Institute plans to publish the Journal of the Family Therapy Institute of Marin.
This Institute offers a complete range of training programs in conjoint family therapy leading to a certificate of
completion for 245 hours of training.
The Institute is publishing Family Therapy, a clinical journal devoted to the practice of family, group and other
interactional therapies. Manuscripts may be submitted to Martin G. Blinder, M.D., Editor.
The staff of the Institute act as consultants in conjoint family therapy to private practitioners in the field. For more
information write: Family Therapy Institute of Marin, 1353 Lincoln Avenue, San Rafael, Calif. 94901. Telephone: (415)
456-1666.

5. Langley Porter Neuropsychiatric Institute:

Ira Glick, M.D., Chief of the Clinical Research Ward, leads a weekly introductory course on family diagnosis and therapy
for staff and trainees, including third and fourth year medical students, psychology fellows, social work and vocational
rehabilitation trainees, and nursing staff. He is conducting an outcome study of family therapy with inpatients and their
families, and has also completed a film illustrating a single family over the course of therapy. Entitled "Family Therapy: An
Introduction," this film makes use of split-screen techniques to compare later sessions with earlier ones.
David R. Kessler, M.D., leads a weekly family study seminar at an advanced level for staff and trainees. Dr. Kessler has
recently completed a training film on the basics of family therapy, tentatively entitled "Family in Crisis," which should soon
be available from Sandoz Pharmaceuticals, Hanover, New Jersey.
Henry Lennard, Ph.D., is conducting a family research project using a macroscopic approach to family interaction. He

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makes and studies videotapes of families engaged in a standard taskcooking and eating dinner.
Drs. Glick, Kessler, and Lennard have the following address: Langley Porter Neuropsychiatric Institute, 401 Parnassus,
San Francisco, California 94122. Telephone: (415) 681-8080.

6. Lindsay District Hospital:

Although not strictly in the Bay Area, the recently formed Family Service Center (at Lindsay District Hospital, Lindsay,
Calif.), takes its form from centers in the Bay Area (especially the San Francisco Family Therapy Center). The product of
the efforts of Don Richesin, M.S.W. and Hugh Olson (administrator at Lindsay Hospital), the Family Service Center is
designed to provide a full range of services to families in Tulare County. The psychiatric needs of the Center are provided
by Louis Glatch, M.D., and psychological testing and evaluation by Louis Rienzi, Ph.D. In the process of formation is the
Valley Association of Family Therapists. For further information, contact Don Richesin, Lindsay District Hospital, P.O.
Box 1297, Lindsay, Calif. 93247. Telephone: (209) 562-4955.

7. Mental Research Institute:

History: MRI was founded in Palo Alto, California, in 1959 as part of the Palo Alto Medical Research Foundation. In
1963, it became an independent nonprofit corporation with the specific and primary purpose: "to conduct and encourage
scientific investigation, research and discovery in relation to human behavior for the benefit of the community at large."
MRI's approach is multi-disciplinary; Research and Clinical Associates are psychiatrists, psychologists, anthropologists,
sociologists, and other behavioral scientists.
Research Scope: MRI directs its research and training to interaction in and between families and other social systems.
Beyond the family MRI investigators are studying: correlates of group communication, the behavioral effects of human
communication, the family in relation to basic community institutions such as the schools, churches, business and industry,
the place of the family in helping institutions such ascomprehensive medical and correctional programs, and the family in
other cultures.
Training Scope: MRI pioneered in training qualified professionals in family theory and therapy. More than eight hundred
professionals have studied family therapy at MRI. It offers occasional summer workshop courses for therapists dealing with
disturbed families. The present training program specializes in intensive workshops and continuing education courses in
communication and human systems for advanced professional specialists.
MRI correspondence should be addressed to Dr. John E. Bell, Director, Mental Research Institute, 555 Middlefield
Road, Palo Alto, California 94301. Telephone: (415) 321-3055.

8. VA. Hospital: Family Study Unit:

General Description: The Family Study Unit of the VA Hospital, Palo Alto, California, is a service, training, and
research unit directed by Sheldon Starr, Ph.D. This unit is additionally staffed by Jay Mann, Ph.D., Research Associate; a
part-time senior resident in child psychiatry from Stanford Medical School; a part-time social worker and nurse; and a
full-time secretary. Five full-time-equivalent psychology interns and one social work trainee complete the staffing pattern.
This unit treats families referred from Psychiatry, Medicine, Surgery, and Neurology, thus providing a wide variety of
families. Although families are seen as outpatients, some families are treated while one member is still hospitalized.
One objective of this unit's program is to provide intensive training for professionals in developing skills in family
intervention. Another objective of the unit is to develop and evaluate assessment and intervention techniques for use with
families and to conduct continuous evaluation of the program. Consultation offered to other units and services is focused on
providing crisis intervention for specific cases and on acquainting staff members with ways of conceptualizing and dealing
with patients' problems within the context of the family system.
Correspondence should be addressed to: Dr. Sheldon Starr, Director, The Family Study Unit, Palo Alto VA Hospital,
Palo Alto, California. Telephone: (415) 326-5600.

9. Western Institute for Group and Family Therapy:

For the past seven years the staff of the Western Institute for Group and Family Therapy (formerly Carmel Institute for
Transactional Analysis), has been training professionals from all over the northern hemisphere, Australia, Korea, and
England in the treatment of families and groups, from the viewpoint of transactional analysis.
This training is available in Carmel, San Francisco, Menlo Park, and in our new workshop house on Mt. Madonna,
Watsonville. The staff trains psychotherapists in private and institution practice, and are currently training men and women
from the California Youth Authority, California State Hospitals, California Vocational Rehabilitation, Probation

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Departments, Welfare Departments, and Family Service Association, in addition to ministers, psychiatrists, psychologists,
and social workers in private practice. These therapists are trained in ongoing one-day-a-week programs for one year, in
weekend and week-long workshops, and in intensive four- and eight-week programs.
WIGFT Seminars for psychotherapists are held in San Jose and Mt. Madonna monthlyat no charge.
The staff are: Director: Robert L. Goulding, M.D.; Associate Director: Mary Edwards, M.S.W.; Anita Roggenbuck,
M.S.W.; Charles D. Elias, M.S.W.; Viola Litt Callaghan, M.S.; and Robert C. Drye, M.D. The Institute's address is: 262
Gaffey Road, Watsonville, California 95076. Telephone: (408) 722-6948.

10. YMCA: Family Communication Skills Center:

It is the purpose of the Family Communication Skills Center to identify and draw upon promising resources and methods
in helping local YMCAs develop programs with familiesprograms which will improve communication within families,
between families, and between community services and families. This will be done through: 1) training workshops for lay
and staff leaders; 2) written communications; 3) packaged resources; and 4) consultant help.
Please direct communications and requests for further information to: Winifred J. Colton, Director; Family
Communication Skills Center, 555 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto, California 94301. Telephone: (415) 321-3055.

11. Center for Human Communications:

This Center offers training programs in conjoint family therapy and group facilitation; groups for singles, couples, and
families; referral source for family, individual, and group psychotherapy; consultation with churches, schools, and
businesses; research in communication and human systems. Address: 120 Oak Meadow Drive, Los Gatos, California
95003. Telephone: (408) 354-6466.

12. Family Life Education Association of Santa Clara County:

A preventive program to help retard family breakdown and to improve the quality of family living; to help individuals
become more aware of the physical, mental, emotional and social factors in their lives and to understand better the
interpersonal relationships involved in family living. Address: 2175 The Alameda, San Jose, California 95126. Telephone:
(408) 243-0994.

13. Family Service Association of Mid-Peninsula:

Provides social casework counseling to individuals and families with problems of adjustment. Address: 375 Cambridge
Avenue, Palo Alto, California 94306. Telephone: (415) 326-6576.

14. Family Service Association of Santa Clara County:

A multi-service program aims to strengthen family life through individual, family-unit, and group counseling. The
service is available to everyone regardless of income, creed, race, or family status. Address: 55 East Empire, San Jose,
California 95112. Telephone: (408) 295-7664.

15. Jewish Family Service Agency, Peninsula Branch:

Provides casework services to Jewish families and individuals; provides help with marital difficulties, parent-child
relationships, planning for the aged and handicapped and services to refugees. Financial assistance, if not available from
other sources, is given when part of a casework plan. Address: 490 El Camino Real, Belmont, California 94002.
Telephone: (415) 591-8991.

16. Parents Without Partners, Palo Alto:

Address: P.O. Box 11208, Station A, Palo Alto, California 94306.

17. Parents Without Partners, San Jose:

Adult and family activities and discussion groups. Address: Box 5096, San Jose, California 95150. Telephone: (408)
286-6646.

18. Santa Clara County Conciliation Court:

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Marriage counseling; diagnosis; conjoint involvement; usually limited to three sessions of up to two hours eachfor any
couples experiencing marital distress; also under-age couples for whom judicial assent to marry is required. Address: 191
North First Street, San Jose, California 95113. Telephone: (408) 299-3741 or 299-3742.

Training Programs
A distinction is made between special training programs and in-service training programs. Trainees in the former are
there for the express purpose of gaining training in family therapy, whereas those in the latter receive family therapy
training as part of a larger program. In the sub-lists below, the training programs of each type are designated by their
original list numbers.
Special Training Programs: 1, 3, 4, 7, 9, 10, 11.
In-Service Training Programs: 5, 7, 8, plus the California School of Professional Psychology (for doctoral candidates in
their last two years), Napa State Hospital (for psychology trainees), San Mateo and Santa Clara County Probation
Departments (for probation officers), and Stanford University School of Medicine (for psychiatric residents).

Clinical Service
Direct clinical service is provided by the following groups: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 13, 14, 15, 18.

Research
Family research is conducted by the following groups: 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, plus the California School of Professional
Psychology.

Specialized Activities in Family Therapy

Audiovisual Techniques: Videotape is used to some extent by the following groups: 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, plus Frederick R.
Ford, M.D., and Joan Herrick, M.S.S., co-directors of a new project in Berkeley for training family therapists.
Brief Therapy: The Brief Therapy Center of the Mental Research Institute is briefly described in item 7 of the list of
institutions and organizations. Its staff members include Richard Fisch, M.D., Director of the BTC; John Weakland,
Associate Director; Paul Watzlawick, Ph.D.; Arthur Bodin, Ph.D.; and Barbara McLachlan.
Family Crises and Police Community Relations: Arthur Bodin, Ph.D., has taught three police community relations
courses which included some simulation of police officers responding to a "hot 415-F" or a family beef call.
Family Education: Groups focusing on family education include the followings: 10, 12, 16, 17.
Family Law: The San Francisco Bay Area has a number of family law experts. Three who are particularly active in
teaching law students and interacting with family therapists are Professor Aidan Gough, University of Santa Clara;
Professor Herma Hill Kay, University of California, Berkeley; and Professor Mike Wald, Stanford University. One such
court conciliation service is listed (item 18).
Family Therapy in the Education Setting: Harris Clemes, Ph.D., of MRI has been conducting a project with the
Watsonville School District, demonstrating that family therapy techniques can be used in a school setting.
Family Crisis Intervention in Probation Departments: Richard Fisch, M.D., Director of the Brief Therapy Center at the
Mental Research Institute, has been training probation officers in the Special Subvention Unit of the Santa Clara County
Probation Department in the techniques developed at MRI's Brief Therapy Center. Arthur Bodin, Ph.D., also of the Mental
Research Institute, teaches a similar course at the San Mateo County Probation Department for college credit under San
Jose State College auspices.
Nurse Training: The Mental Research Institute is completing the third year of a project sponsored by the Nursing
Branch of NIMH for the training of nurse educators in family therapy. Director of this project is Mrs. Elaine Sorensen,
R.N., M.A.
Speech and Hearing Problems: Parent and family counseling with special reference to speech and hearing difficulties
can be among the services offered children or adults with articulation problems, aphasia, deafness, or hearing impairment,
delayed or retarded speech development, laryngectomy, stuttering, or voice disorders. Address: John F. Font, Ph.D.,
Director of Clinical Services, Institute for Communication Disorders, 2120 Forest Avenue, San Jose, California 95128.
Telephone: (408) 287-9777.
Professional Society Activity: The Association of Family Therapists is introducing a new activity this spring: a Film
Festival featuring six films of special interest to family therapists, followed by discussion with audience participation. The
Film Festival will show a different film each week for six weeks. Additional activities of the Association of Family
Therapists include the following: 1) clinically oriented family therapy meetings, open to the professional public and usually
held the second Friday of each month from September through June in the home of an AFT member; 2) an annual spring

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open meeting featuring guest leaders of the family therapy field; 3) an annual fall weekend meeting featuring workshops
conducted by AFT members and guest leaders of the family therapy field; and 4) specially scheduled courses in family
therapy designed for beginning or somewhat more experienced family therapists.