Welcome to the Alumni Association of
The Family Institute at Nortwestern University

The Alumni Association strives to foster lifelong relationships between The Family Institute and its alumni. The Association promotes a spirit of loyalty and fraternity among graduates, students, and friends, while encouraging alumni to maintain involvement in activities of The Institute and to support The Institute's work through financial and volunteer contributions.

The Alumni Association provides:

• Service to the alumni through professional development, networking and social events, and advocacy.
• Service to the students of The Family Institute graduate programs by providing mentoring, advocacy and promoting continued involvement with The Institute and the Alumni Association.
• Service to the Family Institute by supporting the mission and activities of The Institute and fostering a culture of financial support among the alumni.

Highlights

Alumni Social Networking Reception

BIN 36, Chicago

April 23, 2008

6:00-8:00 pm.

Enjoy an evening of wine and hors d'oeuvres at BIN 36 hosted by The Alumni Association of The Family Institute.  Reconnect with old friends and make new ones.  You can also win some great prizes in a raffle with all proceeds benefitting The Family Institute's education programs!  So far, the prizes include:

• $75 gift certificate to Rosebud Restaurants
• Tillie Studio handmade bag
• Four VIP tickets to the Shedd Aquarium
• Two tickets to the June 6 Chicago White Sox game (parking included)
• Two tickets to the June 3 Chicago Sky game
• Manicure & pedicure at Vanity Nails in Wilmette (value $50)
• Eight general admission tickets to The Field Museum, plus special entry to the Underground Adventure exhibition (value $175)
• $25 gift certificate to The Cheesecake Factory
• $40 gift certificate to Pete Miller's Evanston Restaurant
• One-hour personal training session at Evanston Athletic Club  (value $60)
• Gift certificate to Pasquale Salon, Glencoe
• Chicago Cubs baseball autographed by pitcher Rich Hill
• Four admission tickets to the Adler Planetarium
• Two $25 gift certificates to LuLu's Dim Sum & Then Sum

If you would like to RSVP for the event or purchase raffle tickets, please contact Erin Conway at 312-609-5300, ext. 480 or econway@family-institute.org.

Alumnus of the Year Award

The Alumnus of the Year award was presented to Janice Witzel, PhD on October 26, 2007.  Karen Krefman, Vice President for Strategy and Planning at The Family Institute, and a graduate of the MFT Program, welcomed Janice and the alumni community to the reception, which was held after the Fall Conference.  Deane Graham, who nominated Janice for the award, presented it to her and said a few words about Janice’s contributions to the field of mental health.

Janice received her BA and MA in Psychology from Roosevelt University in Chicago.  She worked for fourteen years at Greater Lawn Mental Health Center, where she developed and directed a Family Therapy Program.  She also began a private practice, which she has maintained for the past 31 years.

Janice received her PhD from the Counseling Psychology Program and also took a year-long practicum in marital and family therapy at The Family Institute.  Her dissertation, “Lives of Successful Never-Married Women: Myths and Realities” was well-received in The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Psychology Today and other publications.  She has been supervising graduate students, individually and in groups, in both the former Practicum and Two-Year Training Programs of The Family Institute, the former Counseling Psychology PhD Program and the current MFT and CPSY Master’s Programs.  She is currently the Chair of the Alumni Advisory Board at The Family Institute.