MLG Award- Supervisor
The Philadelphia Child and Family Therapy Training Center is proud to announce that Denise Stoneroad has been nominated as a supervisor for the 2025 Marion Lindblad-Goldberg (MLG) Award. Denise’s nomination is a powerful recognition of her unwavering commitment to systemic family therapy, her leadership in guiding clinicians, and her dedication to fostering resilience in families.
With a deep appreciation for systemic perspective, Denise challenges the traditional view of adolescents with “bad” behavior being seen in isolation. Instead, she ensures that her teams assess family interactions as a whole, seeking to understand the root causes of behaviors rather than focusing on a single identified client. During the challenges of the pandemic, she demonstrated exceptional leadership, guiding her team to grow stronger, adapt, and collaborate rather than becoming isolated—just therapists encourage families to do in therapy.
As a supervisor, Denise embodies the balance between professional boundaries and collaboration. She has cultivated a culture where clinicians build their own competence and resilience rather than relying on her to “rescue” them. By reinforcing patience and preparation, she helps clinicians and families develop the confidence to tackle challenges independently.
Denise also engages in social ecology with a keen sense of self-awareness. She encourages her teams to explore their own lived experiences and how those experiences shape their professional growth. A strong proponent of deliberate practice and videotaping, she fosters an environment of continuous learning—both for herself and for those she supervises.
Where others might see chaos as overwhelming, Denise sees opportunity. She remains calm and courageous in the face of crises, guiding her teams to help families make meaningful, lasting changes. Whether supporting caregivers in shifting family dynamics or helping clinicians navigate their own professional challenges, she instills the mindset that struggle is a stepping stone to transformation.
Denise’s ability to assess with complexity while acting with simplicity makes her an invaluable mentor. She helps her teams synthesize large amounts of data, break it down into meaningful insights, and use it to engage families in treatment planning. Through her guidance, clinicians help caregivers see problems in a new light and build stronger, child-centered, caregiver-led plans for family success.
Denise Stoneroad’s nomination is a testament to her extraordinary impact on systemic family therapy. Her leadership, insight, and commitment to second-order change embody the very essence of the MLG Award.
Please join us in celebrating Denise and her remarkable contributions to the field. Stay tuned as we continue to highlight the incredible nominees shaping the future of family therapy!
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