Improving Mental Health Care Through Clinical Research

The Family Institute is dedicated to intervention – making a difference in the lives of families, couples and individuals from all walks of life. Through research, we scientifically investigate our interventions to better understand the therapeutic process and to develop improved treatments. As one of the leading centers for marriage and family therapy, with a large and diverse client population, The Family Institute is uniquely positioned to pursue path-breaking research on families and relationships.

The Institute's clinical research activities are focused on two areas (click on Research Foci at left for more details):

• The process and determinants of how people change in psychotherapy
• Anxiety and mood disorders over the life course, within the context of the family

Research at The Family Institute is conducted under the auspices of Northwestern University's Center for Applied Psychological and Family Studies. The Center is operated by The Family Institute and housed at our headquarters in Evanston, Illinois. All research projects receive approval from the Northwestern University Institutional Review Board to ensure protection to volunteer subjects enrolled in studies.

Current Research Initiatives

• Psychotherapy Change Project
• Treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder
• Depression, Marital Distress and Couples
• Parental Depression/Conflict and Social-emotional Functioning of Young Children

To learn more about these initiatives, select from the list on the left side of the page.

Support – The Research Program at The Family Institute is supported, in part, by gifts and grants from individuals, families and foundations. Your contribution will help us continue important research work and advance the science and practice of mental health care. To make a gift on-line, click on the DONATE NOW button. Or, if you prefer to send your gift by mail, click on Charitable Giving at the top of the page, or call the Director of Development at 847-733-4300.