Background
She was born on March 1, 1943 in Akron, Ohio, United States. Daughter of Alvar Willard and Marion Mitchell Lindblad.
Introduction
Marion Lindblad-Goldberg, Ph.D., LMFT, was a clinical associate professor of psychology, department of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia. She is also Director Emeritus of PCFTTC, formerly known as the Family Therapy Training Center at the Philadelphia Child Guidance Center of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Impact
The Philadelphia Child and Family Therapy Training Center offers Ecosystemic Structural Family Therapy (ESFT), a practice-based model developed by Dr. Marion Lindblad-Goldberg. ESFT aims to support families dealing with emotional and behavioral issues to prevent out-of-home placement. Therapists work closely with families in their home and community settings, helping them identify interaction patterns and develop new responses. The approach involves reframing problems, fostering hope, and connecting families with community resources for continued support.
Beliefs
She emphasized seeing families in context and dealing with patterns of relating that are serving a purpose, although symptomatic. She strives to see all caregivers as capable, competent and caring. She had the belief that understanding the connections individuals have is crucial in providing effective support. To make a difference in someone’s life, it is essential to engage with the people they are linked to. And all her work was guided through “every family is their own best resource for change.”
Influential Citations
Lindblad-Goldberg, M., Dore, M.M., & Stern, L.S. (1998). Creating Competence from Chaos: A Comprehensive Guide to Home-Based Services.
Lindblad-Goldberg, M., Dukes, J.L., & Lasley, J. (1988). Stress in black, low-income, single-parent families: normative and dysfunctional patterns. The American journal of orthopsychiatry, 58 1, 104-120 .
Lindblad-Goldberg, M., & Northey, W.F. (2013). Ecosystemic Structural Family Therapy: Theoretical and Clinical Foundations. Contemporary Family Therapy, 35, 147-160.
Lindblad-Goldberg, M., Jones, C.W., & Dore, M.M. (2004). EFFECTIVE FAMILY-BASED MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR YOUTH WITH SERIOUS EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE IN PENNSYLVANIA The Ecosystemic Structural Family Therapy Model.
Lindblad-Goldberg, M., & Dukes, J.L. (1985). Social support in black, low-income, single-parent families: normative and dysfunctional patterns. The American journal of orthopsychiatry, 55 1, 42-58 .
Lindblad-Goldberg, M. (2019). Training Ecosystemic Structural Family Therapists and Supervisors. Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy.
Lindblad-Goldberg, M., & Northey, W.F. (2013). Ecosystemic Structural Family Therapy: Theoretical and Clinical Foundations. Contemporary Family Therapy, 35, 147 – 160.
Lindblad-Goldberg, M. (1985). Reaching Inward: A Way of Training in Human Systems Thinking.
