Understanding the 'Family' Side of Family Business
Family business ownership in the United States has enjoyed a long and successful history. That success, however, has come with unique struggles, often arising from the complex blend of two systems - the family and the business.

Whether you are a participant in or a consultant to a family business, you know the challenges of navigating the complicated human relationships involved in these systems. For nearly four decades, experts at The Family Institute at Northwestern University have been developing and applying advanced thinking to the study and care of all types of family relationships. With the inception of The Institute's Family Business Program, these efforts are now directed to the vital relationships that exist in family businesses. Broadly speaking, the Family Business Program engages these issues through the following domains:

• Consultation
• Education for family business owners & senior management
• Education for advisers to family-owned businesses
• Research

Program Team

Program Director
Douglas C. Breunlin, LCSW, LMFT,

Program Associates:
David P. Ransburg, Jr., MBA, MA
Alexandra Hambright Solomon, PhD, LCP
Jean Firestone, JD, MA
Katherine W. Panattoni, JD

Sarah B. Warren, PhD, LCP

Program Advisors

John L. Ward, PhD
Clinical Professor of Family Enterprises
Co-Director, The Center for Family Enterprises
J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management
    Northwestern University

William M. Pinsof, PhD, LMFT, ABPP

President, The Family Institute

Director, Center for Applied Psychological and Family Studies

   The Family Institute

Clinical Professor, Department of Psychology

   Northwestern University

Solomon Cytrynbaum, PhD

Associate Director for Education, Center for Applied Psychological and Family Studies

   The Family Institute

Professor, School of Education and Social Policy and Department of Psychiatry

   Northwestern University

Dan P. McAdams, PhD
Professor of Psychology
Professor of Human Development and Social Policy
Director of Graduate Studies in Psychology
Director, The Foley Center for the Study of Lives
    Northwestern University

To find our more about the Family Business Program and its services, call Douglas C. Breunlin, Program Director, at 847-733-4300, ext. 1032 or email Family-Institute@northwestern.edu

Support - The Family Business Program at The Family Institute is supported, in part, by gifts and grants from individuals, families and foundations. Your contribution will help us continue developing specialized services geared to the unique needs of family businesses. 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.