Professional organizations
Professional organizations
The following organizations provide professional information and resources which can be useful.
National Council on Family Relations (NCFR)
The National Council on Family Relations (NCFR), founded in 1938, provides an educational forum for family researchers, educators, and practitioners to share in the development and dissemination of knowledge about families and family relationships, establishes professional standards, and works to promote family well-being.
Mid-Atlantic Council of Family Relations (MACFR)
The Mid-Atlantic Council on Family Relations (formally known as the Pennsylvania/Delaware Council on Family Relations) is the regional affiliate of the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR). Our membership includes family professionals in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland. Our purpose is 1) to plan and act together on concerns relevant to all forms of marriage and family relationships, 2) to promote and coordinate educational efforts to help and strengthen families, 3) to encourage research and dissemination of information on family issues, and 4) to further effective social action promoting strong, diverse and vibrant families.
Smart Marriages
Smart Marriages is the coalition for marriage, family, and couples education. The Coalition for Marriage, Family and Couples Education is dedicated to making marriage education widely available - to getting the information couples need to create successful marriages out of the research labs and clinical offices to make it user-friendly, affordable, and accessible to the public. We believe that people can "get smarter" about marriage and that when they know better, they will do better.
The Groves Conference on Marriage and Family
The Groves Conference is timely and provocative with diverse and flexible foci. Unlike the traditional format of professional associations where many formal papers are presented, the Groves Conference seeks to limit the number of presentations and conducts its sessions primarily via seminars and workshops. This allows for the exploration of issues in depth, as well as free exchange of ideas, information, and experience between scholars and other professionals from the various disciplines concerned with the family.
The Family Science Association (FSA)
The Family Science Association is an independent organization of professionals (and students) who have joined together to strengthen and enhance the family science profession. The FSA strives to enhance the teaching of family science, promote the study and understanding of professional issues, and improve the quality of information, knowledge, and education about family science.
The American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS)
The American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences is one of the oldest professional societies in the United States. Founded in 1909, its purpose is to improve the quality and standards of individual and family life through programs that educate, influence public policy, disseminate information and publish research findings. The association's over 12,000 members focus on an integrative approach to the reciprocal relationships among individuals, families and communities, as well as the environments in which they function.
American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT)
The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy is the professional association for the field of marriage and family therapy. We represent the professional interests of more than 23,000 marriage and family therapists throughout the United States, Canada and abroad.
American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC)
American Association of Christian Counselors is committed to assisting Christian counselors and the entire 'community of care,' licensed professionals, pastors, and caring church members with little or no formal training. It is the association's intention to equip clinical, pastoral, and lay care-givers with Biblical truth and psycho-social insights that ministers to hurting persons and helps them move to personal wholeness, interpersonal competence, mental stability, and spiritual maturity.
American Family Therapy Academy (AFTA )
The American Family Therapy Academy is a non-profit organization of leading family therapy teachers, clinicians, program developers, researchers and social scientists, dedicated to advancing systemic thinking and practices for families in their ecological context. Through diversity in its membership and through continuous dialogue and collaborative interchange, AFTA flourishes as a learning organization that adds value to its members and to those whom they serve.
International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors (IAMFC)
International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors is an organization that promotes excellence in the practice of couples and family counseling by creating and disseminating first-class publications and media products, providing a forum for exploration of family-related issues, involving a diverse group of dedicated professionals in our activities, and emphasizing collaborative efforts.
The Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE)
The Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE) was established in 1974 to advance gerontology as a field of study in institutions of higher learning. The objectives are to foster research, instructional, and service programs to enhance the capacities of institutions of higher education in the field of aging and to help make their resources available to benefit the wider community and society.
The Gerontological Society of America
The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) was created to provide researchers, educators, practitioners, and policy makers with expanded opportunities to understand, advance, integrate and use basic and applied research on aging to improve the quality of life during processes of aging.