Welcome to the Family Institute of Westchester’s updated website. We proudly begin our 45^th year of post graduate family therapy training for mental health professionals here in Westchester County, NY.

It has been a difficult two and a half years for families. Since the onset of the COVID-19 virus in early 2020, familiar family expectations about work, school, holidays, travel, illness and loss and more were challenged.

And now with fall upon us, while the landscape of COVID-19 has changed, the trauma of the past few years remains with us.

While the availability of vaccines, booster shots and medication to combat the virus has given us more freedom of movement, some continue to lose those near and dear. In the United States alone we have lost more than 1,000,000 people – mothers, fathers, sons and daughters, sisters, brothers, aunts and uncles, cousins, friends, colleagues and community members. While the numbers are significantly lower, over 300 people a day in the month of August died from the COVID-19 virus. Differing perspectives continue to exist within families regarding how to move forward as far as daily life: to mask or not, to travel or not, to get a booster shot or to be vaccinated at all. Some families have rallied together while others have experienced an intensity that has led to tension and in some cases cut off.

We continue to adjust to the “new norm” of flexible work arrangements, in some cases the way in which we travel, socialize and more. Some report continued anxiety and depression due to isolation, financial strain and loss of loved ones, while others report more of a commitment to self-care, better emotional space and increased flexibility in their day to day life.

As family therapists, we know the importance in understanding the emotional blueprint of the individual, couple and family prior to the COVID-19 virus is a critical factor in helping families to make their way in dealing with this new reality.

As a training institute for family therapy, we became familiar and proficient with the technology available which allowed us to continue to provide trainings and workshops. Our colleagues and friends gradually adapted to the strain of Zoom and FaceTime sessions, exhausted by days end.

We provided support to our many alumni, colleagues and friends who were personally challenged with illness and loss. Some of us volunteered to help families who were unable to secure services. It was a challenging time for all of us.

In closing, I invite you to contact FIW at (914) 777-3909 or info@fiwny.org with questions regarding our training programs or workshops here in Westchester County. You can also browse our training opportunities here.

Pat Colucci-Coritt, Ph.D., LCSW, LMFT
Director – Family Institute of Westchester