Main Stage - SFTC 2025

Rooted in Legacy: The Women Who Shaped Systemic Therapy - In Their Words

Tuesday, 10:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. ET

Join us for a powerful keynote conversation with four of the most influential women in the history of systemic family therapy—Nancy Boyd-Franklin, Celia Falicov, Judith Landau and Wai-Yung Lee. Through their own words, these remarkable leaders will reflect on the personal journeys, cultural contexts, and pivotal moments that shaped their work—and the field itself.

Moderated by AAMFT Past President Silvia Kaminsky, this intimate dialogue will explore the evolution of systemic therapy across decades and continents, while offering hard-won wisdom and hope for the future. This session is both a tribute to the legacies that ground us and an invitation to carry their vision forward.

	Celia J. Falicov, PhD Celia J. Falicov, Ph.D, is an internationally known family therapy author, teacher and clinician. She is Clinical Professor of Family Medicine, Founding Director of Mental Health Services at the Student Run Free Clinics University of California San Diego. A Past President of the American Family Therapy Academy, she has pioneered writings on cultural and sociopolitical perspectives in systems theory, practice and training and has received many awards for this work. Her approach to cultural and contextual diversity, MECA, Multidimensional, Ecological Comparative Approach and her books Latino Families in Therapy, 2nd edition (2014) and the co-authored Multiculturalism and Diversity in Clinical Supervision: A Competency Based Approach (2014) are widely used in teaching and training.
	Judith Landau, MD, DPM, LMFT, CFLE, CIP, CAI, CRS Linking Human Systems, LLC, LINC Foundation, and ARISE Network, and Co-Founder of the International Recovery Institute, is a child, family, and community neuropsychiatrist. Chair of the Division of Marriage and Family Therapy and former professor of psychiatry and family medicine at the University of Rochester, she has devoted her career to developing Evidence-Based, Best Practice collaborative family and community resilience models. She is a former faculty member of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania and Senior Consultant to the International Trauma Studies Program at NYU and Columbia. Dr. Landau draws upon 50+ years of research and experience aimed at facilitating long-term healing for individuals, families, and communities dealing with chronic, relapsing behavioral, mental, and physical health issues and addiction. (www.linkinghumansystems.com).
	Wai-Yung Lee, PhD Wai-Yung Lee, PhD, AAMFT Approved Supervisor, is the Founding President and Clinical Director of the Asian Academy of Family Therapy, Clinical Director of the Aitia Family Institute in Shanghai, and Faculty Member of the Minuchin Center for the Family in New York, USA. With extensive experience working in Toronto and New York, Dr Lee is currently based in Hong Kong, where she has devoted her efforts to training and clinical research for the Asian family therapy community. She is a recipient of the American Family Therapy Academy’s 2014 Distinguished Contribution to Family Therapy Theory and Practice Award. Her groundbreaking Family Assessment Protocol©, which is designed to elicit clinical evidence to support if the presenting symptom is purely biological or relational, is particularly useful in working with children with mental health issues, including those in divorced and trans-generational families. Dr Lee has co-authored two books with Salvador Minuchin, "Mastering Family Therapy – Journeys of Growth and Transformation" (first and second editions) and "Assessing Families and Couples – From Symptom to System” ”, all of which has been translated into many different languages
	Nancy Boyd-Franklin Dr. Nancy Boyd-Franklin is an African American family therapist, psychologist, and a Distinguished Professor Emerita from Rutgers University in the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology. Her special interests include multicultural issues, the treatment of African-American families, ethnicity and family therapy, home-based family therapy, marital and couples therapy, the multisystems approach to the treatment of poor inner-city families, issues for women of color, the development of a model of therapeutic support groups for African-American families living with AIDS, and issues in working with African American children and adolescents. Her publications include numerous articles and chapters on the above topics. She has written seven books including: Black Families in Therapy: A Multisystem Approach; Children, Families, and HIV/AIDS: Psychosocial and Therapeutic Issues; Reaching Out in Family Therapy: Home-Based School and Community Interventions, with Dr. Brenna Bry; and Boys Into Men: Raising Our African American Teenage Sons with Dr. Anderson J. Franklin. In 2003, the second edition of her book Black Families in Therapy: Understanding the African American Experience was published. Her more recent books include: Therapy in the Real World: Effective Treatments for Challenging Problems with Elizabeth Cleek, Matt Wofsy, and Brian Mundy; and Adolescents at Risk: Home-based Family Therapy and School-based Intervention with Dr. Brenna Bry. Her honors include receipt of the award for Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Ethnic Minority Psychology and to the Mentoring of Students from Division 45 of the APA (2001), the award for Outstanding Contributions to the Theory, Practice and Research on Psychotherapy with Women from Division 35 of the APA (1996), the Distinguished Psychologist of the Year Award from the Association of Black Psychologists (1994) and the Pioneering Contribution to the Field of Family Therapy Award from the American Family Therapy Academy. Dr. Boyd-Franklin shares this hope for the future: “that our field will continue its commitment to issues of diversity and to the treatment of African American and other ethnic minority families in these challenging times.”

Legacy, Resilience, and Mental Health in Today’s America

Thursday, 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. ET

The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) is deeply honored to welcome Ms. Minnijean Brown-Trickey, Mr. Ernest Green, Dr. Terrence Roberts, and Ms. Carlotta Walls LaNier—four esteemed members of the Little Rock Nine—as featured panelists for the closing keynote of the 2025 virtual Systemic Family Therapy Conference.

This powerful keynote will explore perseverance, resilience, and hope as essential elements in navigating trauma, driving systemic change, and fostering intergenerational healing. Through a moderated conversation, the panelists will reflect on their lived experiences as courageous pioneers in the desegregation of American public schools, offering invaluable insight into the long-term impacts of racial injustice and collective resistance.

Connecting their historic journey to today’s landscape, the conversation will illuminate ongoing struggles in equity, education, and civil rights, while offering wisdom and encouragement to therapists, educators, and advocates committed to healing families and transforming systems. This keynote promises to be a profound and deeply human reminder of the enduring power of dignity, solidarity, and the relentless pursuit of justice.

	Ms. Minnijean Brown-Trickey In 1957, Minnijean Brown-Trickey changed history by striding through the front doors of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. As a member of the Little Rock Nine, she helped desegregate public schools—a milestone in civil rights history—and alter the course of education in America. Her talks are a sweeping exploration of social change and a reminder that the fight is far from over. In the autumn of 1957, Minnijean Brown-Trickey took her rightful place in what had previously been a whites-only school. In front of a worldwide television audience, she walked past armed guards and an angry mob to help set America on the path toward desegregation in public schools. Incredibly, this was just the beginning of her fiery career as a social activist. For her work, she has received the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal, the Spingarn Medal, the Wolf Award, and a medal from the W.E.B. DuBois Institute, among other citations. Under the Clinton administration, she served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Department of the Interior, for diversity. She has also appeared in two acclaimed documentaries: Journey to Little Rock: The Untold Story of Minnijean Brown Trickey and HBO’s Little Rock: 50 Years Later. In her adult life, Brown-Trickey continues to be an activist for minority rights. She lived in Canada for a number of years in the 1980s and 1990s, getting involved in First Nations activism and studying social work at Laurentian University.
	Mr. Ernest Green Ernest G. Green currently works at Matrix Advisory, an institutional asset manager. He is serving as a partner of this firm, which has offices in New York and Washington, DC. His long involvement in helping states, cities, municipalities, and governmental authorities finance their needs throughout the United States has led to him helping to lead Matrix into a new era of public-private partnerships. As the former chairman of the African Development Foundation, he uses his international contacts to assist leaders with their needs, particularly in the area of infrastructure. Mr. Green was appointed Chairman of the African Development Foundation by President Clinton. He was also appointed by Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley to serve as Chairman of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Capital Financing Advisory Board. Mr. Green served as Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training during the Carter administration. In that capacity, he formulated and directed employment and training programs for the nation. These programs involved retraining and job placement for workers affected by changes in the economy and technology, as well as providing training opportunities for economically disadvantaged young people. View More His work in government and finance has been matched by a lifetime of civic involvement. He has served on numerous boards, including the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Africare, and the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation. His leadership has extended to education as well, where he has been a strong advocate for access, equity, and opportunity for underserved communities. Nationally recognized for his role as one of the “Little Rock Nine,” Mr. Green was among the nine African American students who, in 1957, integrated Little Rock Central High School under the protection of federal troops. This historic event became a critical turning point in the Civil Rights Movement. In 1958, he became the first African American to graduate from Little Rock Central High School. Mr. Green went on to earn his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Michigan State University. His commitment to public service, civil rights, and education has been recognized with numerous awards and honors. In 1999, President Bill Clinton awarded him the Congressional Gold Medal, the nation’s highest civilian honor, along with the other members of the Little Rock Nine. Mr. Green continues to be in demand as a speaker and consultant, sharing his experiences and insights on civil rights, education, leadership, and economic development. His journey from Little Rock Central High School to national leadership exemplifies resilience, courage, and a lifelong dedication to justice and opportunity. Today, he remains deeply engaged in initiatives that bridge the gap between public and private sectors, both in the United States and internationally. Whether through his work in asset management, his advisory roles, or his advocacy for educational and social equity, Ernest Green’s contributions continue to leave a lasting impact.
	Dr. Terrence Roberts Roberts endeavors to alleviate the confusion in all the various arenas of difference and diversity that characterize our nation. Little Rock offered dramatic examples of negative approaches to difference and the problem those approaches create. The major part of Dr. Roberts’ presentations is devoted to identifying the lessons and urging the audience to commit to using this information. Dr. Roberts holds a PhD in Psychology from Southern Illinois University and a MSW from the University of California, Los Angeles. He is licensed in California as both a psychologist and a social worker. He has served since 1975 as CEO of Terrence J. Roberts & Associates, a management consultant firm. This group has provided consultation to a wide variety of clients including Cedars Sinai Hospital, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service and Pepperdine University. The group offers expertise in several areas, including managing racial and ethnic diversity and developing multicultural awareness. Dr. Roberts is the author of Lessons from Little Rock, a memoir about his life experiences, and the recently published Simple, Not Easy: Reflections on Community, Social Responsibility, and Tolerance.  Both books provide insight into Dr. Roberts’ depth of concern about the future of the United States.
	Ms. Carlotta Walls-LaNier In 1957, fourteen-year-old Carlotta Walls was the youngest Little Rock Nine member to integrate Central High School. She and eight other Black students faced angry mobs, racist elected officials, and federal intervention by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was forced to send in the 101st Airborne to escort the Nine safely into the building. Little did she realize that day that this was the beginning of a journey that would challenge prevailing attitudes, break down barriers, and forever change the social landscape of America. Overcoming her initial need to forget her turbulent past, Carlotta Walls LaNier has told her dramatic story for the first time in A Mighty Long Way: My Journey to Justice at Little Rock Central High School. An adaptation of the book for young readers is also available. As the youngest of the Little Rock Nine and piece of living legacy, Ms. LaNier connects and encourages her audience, whether in-person or virtually, to pay attention to the lessons of history and to stay vigilant in fighting for equality. A sought-after lecturer, Carlotta Walls LaNier has spoken all over the country at colleges and universities, women’s and African American organizations, libraries and civic groups. View More After graduating from Little Rock Central High School in 1960, Carlotta Walls attended Michigan State University and graduated from Colorado State College—now the University of Northern Colorado, which has awarded her an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters and on whose board of trustees she sits. In addition to receiving the Congressional Gold Medal and the NAACP’s Spingarn Medal, awarded to her as a member of the Little Rock Nine, Carlotta Walls LaNier is an inductee in the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame, Girl Scouts Women of Distinction and the National Women's Hall of Fame. She serves as president of the Little Rock Nine Foundation, created to promote equality of opportunity for all, particularly in the field of education.