Alumni Association

Alumni Association Mission

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The Alumni Advisory Board

Janice Witzel

Janice Witzel, PhD, LCPC is a clinical supervisor at The Family Institute for graduate students in both the Marriage and Family Therapy, and Counseling Psychology master's programs. Dr. Witzel graduated from Roosevelt University, Psychology, BA, MA, and earned her PhD from Northwestern University. She has been in private practice for the past 30 years, and spent 14 of those years directing a Family Therapy Program for the City of Chicago Department of Mental Health.

Dr. Witzel works with couples and individual adults dealing with issues of life transitions, relational challenges, anxiety and depression with a particular interest in the population of unmarried adults, as her dissertation would suggest: "Lives of Never-Married Women: Myths and Realities". Dr. Witzel sees clients in downtown and north Chicago.

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Heather Bates

Heather Bates, LMFT graduated from the Family Institute's Marriage and Family Therapy program in 2006. Since graduating she worked as a Substance Abuse Therapist for a community mental health agency, and is currently working as a therapist for families involved with DCFS. While Heather has worked with a wide range of presenting problems, her primary focus is adolescents and substance abuse

Leah Brennan

Leah Brennan, MSMFT, works as a therapist at PEER Services, Inc., in Glenview, Illinois. She received a Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy from Northwestern University in 2007. Her clinical training was based at The Family Institute's Bette D. Harris Family and Child Clinic where she worked with families, couples, and individuals. Currently, she works with couples, adolescents, families and individuals struggling with issues around substance abuse.

Jean S. Firestone

Jean S. Firestone, JD, MA received her JD from Duke University and her Masters in Counseling Psychology from the Family Institute at Northwestern University in 2006. Jean is currently working at the Family Institute, providing therapy for low-income individual adult clients at the Bette D. Harris Clinic and serving as a program associate for the Family Institute’s Family Business Program.

Gary Friend

Gary Friend, DPM, LPC, is a podiatrist and senior partner of the North Shore Podiatry Group in Glenview, Lake Forest, and Gurnee. In 1999, he received a masters degree in Counseling Psychology from Northwestern University. Since then he has also been a therapist at Youth and Family Counseling in Libertyville, where he specializes marital and couples counseling, and conflict resolution for professionals in group practices. Dr. Friend is also a small group consultant at Tavistock group dynamics conferences held at Northwestern University.

Anita Landau Hurtig

Anita Landau Hurtig, PhD is a clinical psychologist licensed in Illinois since 1980 with an office in Evanston, Illinois. She recently retired from University of Illinois at Chicago Dept. of Pediatrics as Head of the Psychosocial Clinic for children and families. Dr. Hurtig is now in private practice at 847-869-0019 in Evanston, Illinois seeing primarily adolescents, adults and couples in cognitive and psycho-dynamically oriented therapy.

Nancy Jensen

Nancy Jensen, PhD (licensed clinical psychologist) is a 1991 graduate of the certification program at The Family Institute. Her clinical experience includes over 20 years in the Department of Psychiatry at ENH Medical Group/Evanston Hospital and a part-time private practice. She treats individuals and couples covering a broad number of problems and ages, including grief, transitions, relationships, aging and mood disorders.

Jayne Kinsman

Jayne Kinsman, LMFT, is a marital and family therapist at The Family Institute at Northwestern University. She received a Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy from Northwestern University with clinical training at The Family Institute's Bette D. Harris Family and Child Clinic. She then completed two years of advanced training in the Family Institute Postgraduate Clinical Fellowship Program. Among other activities, Ms. Kinsman is on the clinical staff of The Family Institute's Child and Adolescent Program. She is also in training to become an approved supervisor of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT).

David Klow

David Klow is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a staff practice psychotherapist at The Family Institute at Northwestern University. He is a Clinical Lecturer for Northwestern's Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy program and oversees the Group Therapy Program at The Family Institute. Mr. Klow also supervises Master's-level therapists-in-training.

He received his Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy from The Family Institute at Northwestern University along with extensive clinical training at The Family Institute’s Bette D. Harris Family and Child Clinic. He then completed advanced training in The Family Institute Post-Graduate Clinical Fellowship.  Mr. Klow works with families, couples and individuals, and has created and runs The Men’s Group at The Family Institute. He is a clnical member of The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and the American Group Psychotherapy Association.

Ashly Lawrence

Ashly Lawerence, MA is a child, adolescent and family therapist in a SASS (Screening, Assessment, Support, Services) program with Community Counseling Centers of Chicago (C4). She received her Master's in Counseling Psyschology from the Family Institute at Northwestern University in 2008. Her clinical training included working with young adults, adolescents, and families. Ashly currently works with low-income children, adolescents, and their families in a crisis, support, and stabilization program.

Leigh Rocklin

Leigh Rocklin, MA MEd, LPC earned graduate degrees in Counseling Psychology from Northwestern University and in Education from Loyola University. As a therapist at the Marjorie Kovler Center, Leigh specializes in the treatment of international survivors of government-sponsored torture. Concurrently, she is completing an advanced clinical fellowship at Cathedral Counseling Center where she treats adult clients with histories of trauma, depression and anxiety and is a Back-Home Supervisor of masters students in the Counseling Psychology Program at Northwestern. Her previous experience ranges from facilitating bereavement programs at Children’s Memorial Hospital to counseling individuals and groups in a community mental health center to providing trauma treatment at Northwestern’s Women Center.

Anna Thro

Anna Thro, MSMFT, is a marital and family therapist at PEER Services in Evanston, IL. She received a Masters of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy from The Family Institute at Northwestern University in 2008. Her clinical training included working with individuals, couples, and families. Anna currently works primarily with teens and their families around issues of substance use.

Maryanne Williams

Maryanne Williams received her Masters in Counseling Psychology from Northwestern University and her doctorate in clinical psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Dr. Williams works as a psychotherapist and site supervisor within the HIV Care Program at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center where she specializes in treating HIV positive adults and other medical patients. In addition Dr. Williams teaches Health Psychology seminars to doctoral students within the Care Programs externship program.

Dr. Williams is also an American Psychological Association- Regional Hope trainer where she trains mental health and medical professionals about various psychological and medical aspects of HIV/AIDS. Her trainings include HIV 101, Ethics and HIV/AIDS and HIV/AIDS and Older Adults. She is founder of Williams and Associates a training and consultation firm. Dr. Williams research interest include HIV/AIDS and disclosure issues,Body Image and Trauma issues.

Debbie Youderian

Debbie Youderian LCSW,LMFT is a 2000 graduate of The Family Institute. She received her Masters in Social Work in 1994. Her clinical experience includes adolescents, families and children in outpatient and inpatient psychiatric settings. She currently is a full-time mom for her three children.