We are proud to recognize Kristie Hartzel as a nominee for the 2026 Marion Lindblad-Goldberg (MLG) Award in the Supervisor category. This marks Kristie’s second nomination for the award—an affirmation of the consistent and lasting impact she continues to have on those she supervises.
Kristie embodies the heart of systemic supervision. Those she works alongside consistently describe her as someone who is always available to guide them—a steady, grounding presence in both everyday clinical work and moments of intensity. Her accessibility creates a foundation of trust that allows clinicians to stretch, reflect, and grow within the ESFT model.
Supervising Through the Model
Kristie does not simply teach the model—she supervises through it.
She joins with her supervisees intentionally, contextually, and meaningfully, modeling the relational stance we hope clinicians bring into their work with families. In supervision, she demonstrates how to hold awareness of the entire ecosystem while thoughtfully attending to the clinician’s developmental edge. Her guidance is rooted in systemic thinking, helping clinicians move beyond surface-level interventions toward deeper understanding and second-order change.
Intentional and Contextual Leadership
Kristie’s supervision reflects careful attention to context—whether that context is the family system, the clinician’s growth, or the broader organizational environment. She understands that professional development is relational and creates supervision spaces where clinicians feel supported while also appropriately challenged.
Her joining is purposeful. She meets clinicians where they are and walks alongside them toward greater clarity, confidence, and competence.
Sustained Impact
That this is Kristie’s second nomination speaks to the enduring nature of her leadership. Her impact is not momentary—it is steady, consistent, and woven into the fabric of her team’s development. Supervisees experience her presence as thoughtful, accessible, and deeply invested in their success.
Kristie Hartzel strengthens clinicians, which in turn strengthens families and systems. We are honored to celebrate her continued leadership and her well-deserved nomination for the 2026 MLG Award.
CLICK HERE and subscribe to newsletter and get the password for the blog.
Kristen embodies the highest standards of the ESFT model, making her an exceptional nominee for the MLG Award. In her work, she consistently fosters strong, collaborative partnerships with families, honoring their cultural identities, strengths, and unique narratives. Kristen approaches every interaction with deep empathy and curiosity, creating safe, trusting spaces where caregivers and youth feel genuinely seen, heard, and supported. Her ability to join with families in meaningful and authentic ways allows her to build strong therapeutic relationships that promote hope, connection, and lasting change.
Kristen demonstrates a remarkable ability to maintain a systemic perspective, helping families understand patterns and interactions through a relational and trauma-informed lens. She thoughtfully supports caregivers in recognizing their own strengths and leadership within the family system, while also helping youth feel valued and understood. Her calm and grounded presence during moments of crisis allows families to feel supported even in the midst of chaos, creating opportunities for growth and healing rather than remaining stuck in distress.
Her skillful use of trauma-informed, family-centered interventions strengthens protective factors, enhances caregiver capacity, and empowers families to achieve meaningful and sustainable change. Kristen is also deeply committed to her own professional growth and consistently engages in supervision, reflection, and collaboration to strengthen her clinical practice. Her unwavering dedication, clinical insight, and commitment to relational healing stand out in every service she provides, reflecting the true spirit of the ESFT model. She is profoundly deserving of this recognition.
Sincerely,
Kristie Hartzel, Program Director, RHA
CLICK HERE and subscribe to newsletter and get the password for the blog.
We are proud to recognize William Mayer as a nominee for the 2026 Marion Lindblad-Goldberg (MLG) Award in the Supervisor category.
William has demonstrated what it truly means to lead with integrity, accessibility, and unwavering commitment to his team. His leadership reflects the very heart of systemic supervision—creating spaces where growth, collaboration, and competence flourish.
A Leader Who Creates Safety and Belonging
William champions an open-door policy that ensures every team member feels valued and heard. His approachable presence fosters an environment of trust, open communication, and authentic collaboration. Team members feel comfortable bringing forward questions, ideas, and challenges, knowing they will be met with respect and thoughtful engagement.
This ability to create psychological safety strengthens not only individual clinicians but the entire system.
Translating Complexity into Confidence
William possesses a deep understanding of operational systems and the complexities inherent in family-based work. What sets him apart is his ability to translate that complexity into clarity. He takes the time to ensure that team members understand the “why” behind processes, especially when challenges arise.
Through thoughtful explanation and steady guidance, William enhances his team’s competence and confidence—making intricate systems feel manageable and accessible.
Mentorship Rooted in Care and Development
Beyond his knowledge and leadership, William’s demeanor inspires security and empowerment. He leads in a way that communicates genuine care for both professional growth and personal well-being. His dedication to developing others is evident in his consistency, patience, and encouragement.
William is not only a supervisor—he is a mentor. His passion for the success of his team is woven into every interaction.
A Lasting Impact
William Mayer’s contributions extend beyond daily supervision. He strengthens relational dynamics, fosters professional growth, and builds a culture of collaboration and trust. His leadership leaves a lasting imprint on clinicians, families, and the broader organization.
We are honored to celebrate William as a 2026 MLG Award nominee and grateful for the steady, empowering presence he brings to our community.
Congratulations, William!
CLICK HERE and subscribe to newsletter and get the password for the blog.
This month’s PCFTTC newsletter highlights the incredible growth, leadership, and community engagement happening across our training center and professional network.
Inside this issue, we are proud to recognize the nominees for the 2026 Marion Lindblad-Goldberg Award and celebrate the clinicians who continue to embody the values of Ecosystemic Structural Family Therapy through their work with families, teams, and communities.
We also share reflections from the recent ASPIRE Center workshops focused on suicide prevention in Black communities, celebrate award-winning faculty making an impact beyond the training room, and highlight meaningful community engagement efforts that reflect the power of relational healing and collaboration.
And, of course, keep an eye out for this month’s surprise book recommendation!
Thank you for continuing to learn, grow, and build community alongside us. We are grateful for the opportunity to remain connected through this shared work.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Benjamin, PhD, LPC (she/her) Associate Director & CE Program Administrator training@pcfttc.com
I am pleased to nominate Melanie (Mel) Sheaffer for the Marion Lindblad-Goldberg Award. Melanie exemplifies the belief that growth and development in Ecosystemic Structural Family Therapy extend far beyond the successful completion of competency. Throughout my time supervising her, she has consistently demonstrated a systemic perspective, upheld a thoughtful balance between professional boundaries and collaborative relationships, engaged deeply with social ecology, utilized intensity and crisis as opportunities for meaningful change, and skillfully distilled complex assessments into simple, effective interventions.
Mel approaches her work through a truly holistic lens. She continually evaluates relational patterns, contextual influences, and the interconnectedness of each member within a system. She brings this systemic awareness into group, team, and individual supervisions, always attuned to her role within each family’s system. Mel is intentional in exploring the Person of the Therapist, reflecting on what is evoked in her and how this shapes treatment. Her willingness to engage in this level of self-examination strengthens her clinical presence and enhances the therapeutic process.
Throughout her clinical journey—including her competency process, panel presentation, and post-graduation work—Mel has demonstrated a deep understanding of professional boundaries while remaining highly collaborative. She recognizes that boundaries foster independence and lasting change for families. In her work, she balances challenge with validation, helping families shift perspectives, identify supports, and move toward healthier patterns. She brings this same thoughtful balance to team and group supervision, maintaining appropriate boundaries while collaborating to share knowledge, broaden perspectives, and support the growth of others.
Mel also embodies the principles of social ecology. She actively assesses and utilizes community resources, while remaining mindful of the external barriers families face related to race, socioeconomic status, and past negative experiences with institutions or providers. She works intentionally to create safety and inclusion in both sessions and supervision, addressing contextual stressors and advocating for meaningful change.
In moments of intensity or crisis, Mel shines. She uses these experiences to create powerful reframes, facilitate enactments, and strengthen therapeutic joining. Like a duck gliding across the water, she may be working tirelessly beneath the surface, but she presents with calm, purpose, and steadiness. Her ability to remain grounded while guiding others through crisis is one of her greatest strengths.
Finally, Mel’s conceptualizations are both rich and accessible. She works diligently to understand each family’s complexity and then translates that understanding into clear, impactful treatment goals. She shares this skill generously in supervision, supporting the development of other clinicians with clarity and compassion.
Mel not only practices ESFT, she lives it. She brings the model’s principles into her work, her supervision, and her daily life. Her commitment to growth, systemic thinking, and relational healing makes her an exceptional candidate for this award.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Rebecca Bowman, BS
Laurel Life FBMHS Supervisor
CLICK HERE and subscribe to newsletter and get the password for the blog.
Danitza exemplifies the heart and core values of the ESFT model, making her an exceptional nominee for the MLG Award. She brings warmth, cultural humility, and genuine curiosity to every family she serves, creating safe and trusting relationships that honor each family’s unique story and lived experience. Danitza consistently approaches her work through a systemic lens, recognizing the importance of relationships, social ecology, and the strengths already present within each family system.
She skillfully strengthens caregiver capacity by highlighting strengths, using protective factors, and supporting families through trauma-informed and relational interventions. Her ability to navigate complex dynamics with calmness, empathy, and clinical insight consistently leads to meaningful progress for youth and caregivers alike. Even during moments of crisis or heightened intensity, Danitza remains grounded and intentional, helping families move beyond immediate challenges toward lasting relational change.
Danitza is also deeply committed to her own professional growth and development. She actively engages in supervision, reflection, and collaboration to strengthen her clinical practice and ensure families receive thoughtful, high-quality care. Her unwavering dedication, strong engagement skills, and commitment to family-centered healing reflect the true spirit of ESFT, and her work has had a lasting, positive impact on every family she supports. She is truly deserving of this recognition.
Sincerely,
Kristie Hartzel, Program Director, RHA
CLICK HERE and subscribe to newsletter and get the password for the blog.
Andrew is a healer. His superpower is in how he sees the best in people even when they are showing their worst. He sees and understands symptoms through an attachment-based, systemic trauma-informed lens. His gracefulness in these regards cultivates safety while at the same time inspires those in his presence to do the same… to grow and stretch themselves. He focuses on working collaboratively with the whole system, while at the same time partnering primarily with caregivers to promote their leadership. He is so effective at this because of how gracefully he applies his belief… that people always have more than they show… to each family member starting with the caregivers.
Andrew embraces his village of colleagues, and both seeks and provides support. He is vocal and active with his peers in eliciting and offering feedback. He assertively and courageously pursues ongoing growth as an ESFT clinician.
He deeply trusts himself, the ESFT convictions and his connections with his village of support when facing unknowns and challenges that seem impossible. Our PHMC FBS leadership team has intentionally assigned Andrew to clients with extremely high-risk challenging NIPs given our confidence in him, and he has willingly and enthusiastically embraced these assignments professing his compassion, trust and commitment to his own growth.
I have been supervising, training and witnessing Family Based Therapists in their practice of ESFT for two decades. In my witnessing, there are only a very few that match the depth of Andrew’s embracing, practicing and promoting the values and convictions of ESFT.
Sincerely,
Bill Mayer, LMFT
Program Director, PHMC
CLICK HERE and subscribe to newsletter and get the password for the blog.
Any time you have a traumatized child, you have a traumatized family. Any time you have a traumatized family, you have a traumatized community.
#traumainformed #esft
From an Ecosystemic Structural Family Therapy (ESFT) perspective, the interconnectedness of trauma is not just a metaphor—it’s a lived reality. Trauma doesn’t reside in one person alone. When a child exhibits symptoms of trauma—such as dysregulation, withdrawal, aggression, or anxiety—it’s easy to focus solely on the child. However, ESFT asks us to broaden our view. Trauma is embedded within relationships, shaped by caregiver responses, family stressors, historical and generational experiences, and the community context. When we recognize a traumatized child, we also acknowledge that caregivers may be overwhelmed, fearful, or uncertain, families are adapting under stress without adequate support, and the larger network may be strained or under-resourced.
The family serves as the immediate system, and trauma has the power to reorganize it. This disruption can affect attachment (the sense of safety between caregiver and child), parental leadership (confidence, consistency, authority), co-regulation (the shared ability to manage distress), and co-caregiver alliance (alignment between adults). Caregivers may become more reactive, protective, or distant—not out of indifference, but because they too are affected. The child’s symptoms often reflect a system under stress, not just an individual problem.
ESFT expands this perspective even further, recognizing families as part of a larger social ecology—including schools, neighborhoods, cultural beliefs, healthcare systems, and economic conditions. When communities face violence, poverty, systemic inequities, or limited access to resources, families absorb those pressures. Consequently, children are deeply impacted by the strain their families experience. Trauma becomes layered and interconnected: community stress influences family functioning, family stress impacts child behavior, and the focus frequently lands on the child, without addressing the broader system.
Rather than asking, “What’s wrong with this child?” ESFT encourages us to ask, “What has this child, this family, and this community experienced—and how is that showing up here?” This shift promotes understanding over blame, emphasizes relational patterns instead of individual pathology, and aims for systemic change rather than simply reducing symptoms.
Although this perspective can feel overwhelming, it clarifies where meaningful intervention begins. We don’t have to “fix” the entire community to create change. Instead, we focus on strengthening caregiver capacity, increasing safe and consistent connections within the family, supporting co-regulation and relational repair, and helping families access community supports. When a family begins to shift, there’s a ripple effect—the child feels safer, family interactions improve, and community engagement changes.
This approach also places responsibility on clinicians, organizations, and systems of care. If trauma exists across multiple levels, healing must occur across those levels as well. Trauma-informed care should extend beyond the individual, interventions must account for family and ecological context, and systems need to collaborate rather than operate in isolation.
A traumatized child is never just a traumatized child; they are part of a family striving to adapt, and that family is embedded within a community facing its own challenges. Within this complex web lies both the source of the problem and the pathway to healing. In ESFT, change does not occur in isolation—it happens when we begin to see and support the system as a whole.
CLICK HERE and subscribe to newsletter and get the password for the blog.
It is with deep respect and wholehearted enthusiasm that we nominate Amber Berkoski, LMFT, PhD, ACS, for the Marion Lindblad-Goldberg Award. Amber embodies the spirit, mission, and relational philosophy that Dr. Marion Lindblad-Goldberg championed throughout her life, the belief that through systemic and relational interventions, we can heal disengagement and cultivate belonging, one family at a time.
Amber does not simply lead a department at Creative Health Services, she cultivates a living, breathing ecosystem. As Director of Family Based Services overseeing more than 25 clinicians and support staff, she consistently maintains a systemic lens that honors both the “whole” and the “parts.” Her leadership reflects a deep appreciation of isomorphic process across administration, supervision, clinical teams, and the families we serve. She routinely highlights how patterns that emerge in families can mirror patterns within teams and organizational structures, and she does so in a way that is direct, grounded, and strength-based. Under her guidance, clinicians are invited not only to intervene systemically with families but to examine their own relational processes within supervision and team dynamics. This is not theoretical for Amber; it is lived practice.
Amber masterfully balances professional boundaries with authentic collaboration. She carries the expertise of her training and scholarship with humility and accessibility. She understands that authority and collaboration are not opposites but partners in growth. In supervision, she models a stance that is clear, consistent, and boundaried, while simultaneously deeply relational. Clinicians experience her as both a steady anchor and a collaborative thought partner. She builds competence by drawing out strengths already present within the system, whether in a struggling caregiver, a developing clinician, or a supervisory team navigating complexity. Through this balance, she fosters trust and empowers others to step more confidently into their roles.
Her engagement in social ecology is both deliberate and embodied. Amber demonstrates an ongoing commitment to understanding how identity, culture, power, and lived experiences shape relational patterns and access to resources. She invites critical reflection, not as an academic exercise, but as a pathway toward deeper connection and ethical responsibility. She is aware of her own zone of proximal development and models deliberate practice, consultation, and utilization of support systems as essential components of professional growth. In doing so, she normalizes learning as an ongoing, relational process rather than a fixed state of expertise.
Amber has a rare ability to make the most of intensity and crisis. Where others might see chaos, she sees opportunity for second-order change. In moments of system distress whether clinical, supervisory, or administrative, she holds steadiness and perspective. She supports others with making meaning and identifying the relational patterns beneath surface behavior. Rather than reacting to urgency alone, she keeps transformation in view. Amber supports teams with nurturing new relational patterns, and increasing capacity rather than simply resolving the immediate problem. Her leadership during crises communicates confidence in growth, not fear of breakdown.
Perhaps most remarkably, Amber assesses with complexity while acting with simplicity. Her conceptualizations are layered, trauma-informed, relational, contextual, and developmentally responsive. She understands the complex interaction between attachment, family systems, power dynamics, and organizational structures with depth and nuance. Yet when she communicates, her words are clear, grounded, and validating. Clinicians leave conversations feeling both understood and practically guided. She embodies the principle that complexity belongs in the thinking and clarity belongs in the doing, emphasizing that deliberate practice is essential for clinicians to perform at their highest level in the field.
Amber Berkoski exemplifies what it means to believe wholeheartedly in people, in their capacity to grow, repair, and belong. She cultivates competence without shame, accountability without disconnection, and leadership grounded in collaboration. She honors the relational fabric that connects families, clinicians, supervisors, and systems, and she strengthens that fabric every day through intentional, systemic practice. For these reasons and more, Amber Berkoski stands as a living reflection of Dr. Marion Lindblad-Goldberg’s legacy. She makes the world a better, brighter, and more connected place, one family, one clinician, and one system at a time. It is our honor to nominate her for the Marion Lindblad-Goldberg Award.
Sincerely,
Her Clinical Supervisors
CLICK HERE and subscribe to newsletter and get the password for the blog.
