Ackerman Institute for the Family to Honor Fiona True, LCSW, and Joshua Rahn at 65th Anniversary Sapphire Gala

This year’s gathering of 250 supporters in philanthropy, business, and the arts will convene to celebrate 2025 honorees: Fiona True, LCSW, and Joshua Rahn.

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, October 22, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Adi Loebl, MD, President and CEO, Ackerman Institute for the Family, announced today the celebration of its 65th anniversary at its Sapphire Annual Gala to be held on Thursday, October 30, 2025, at the JW Marriott Essex House in New York City. Proceeds from the highly anticipated gala will support its fundraising goals aimed at advancing its mission to expand equitable access to compassionate, high-quality family therapy and mental health care.

The Ackerman Institute for the Family, one of the nation’s most respected and world-renowned training institutes for couple and family therapy, continues its legacy of excellence in clinical family treatment, training the next generation of therapists, advancing research and innovation in mental care, and a commitment to social justice. This year’s gathering of 250 guests and leaders comprised of board members, faculty, staff, and its incredible community of philanthropists, business and arts organizations, and supporters will convene to celebrate this year’s honorees: Fiona True, LCSW, Co-Director, Center for Children and Relational Trauma Faculty Emeritus, Ackerman; Joshua Rahn, Co-Founder & Partner, Oceans.

Fiona True, LCSW, will be honored with the Ackerman Legacy Award in Clinical Teaching. Joshua Rahn will be honored with the Ackerman Visionary Award. Longstanding Ackerman Institute for the Family board members Debbie Werner and Leslie Roberts are the 2025 Sapphire Gala co-chairs. Ira Sallen is the chair of the board of directors.

Kori Chambers, multi-Emmy-winning anchor of PIX11 News and 2024 Ackerman Moving Families Forward Media Award honoree, will be this year’s emcee.

Loebl states, “Ackerman’s 65th anniversary is a celebration of legacy and progress. We are privileged to recognize Fiona True, LCSW, and Joshua Rahn—leaders and innovators from the worlds of family therapy, and tech entrepreneurship—for their shared dedication to strengthening families. Their partnership fuels our vision for a future where excellence in care and access for all families go hand in hand with embracing technology and AI as transformative forces in mental health.”

The theme of this year’s milestone event is “Honoring Our Legacy, Inspiring Our Future,” which takes place during Mental Health Awareness Month. This event plays a vital role in advancing the future of innovation through ongoing training, treatment, research, and strategic initiatives to amplify Ackerman’s impact on providing access to care—and moving families forward. The evening features an elegant cocktail reception and dinner, an awards ceremony honoring individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to supporting mental health and advocating for families, and both a live and silent auction benefitting the organization's groundbreaking work.

Critical priorities include training a new generation of diverse family therapists through its visionary Training Institute, expanding BIPOC scholarships, a new practicum student program with leading universities, and providing direct therapeutic services through the Ackerman Clinic, regardless of a family’s ability to pay. Innovative projects and centers focus on serving specific communities—LGBTQ+ and trans youth, families in foster care and adoption, and Latinx youth and immigrants—and well-known parenting and child development while driving research and exploring the role of AI and emerging technologies in advancing the field. Active projects include Center for Developing Child and Family, Gender and Family Project, Latinx Youth and Family Immigration Project, and Foster Care and Adoption Project.

To learn more about Ackerman Institute for the Family, visit ackerman.org.

To purchase tickets to the Sapphire Annual Gala, visit https://www.ackerman.org/2025gala/.

For more information about the Sapphire Annual Gala, contact Frederica Wald: fwald@ackerman.org,

For press and media inquiries about the Sapphire Annual Gala, contact Kahshanna Evans at pr@kissinglions.com and (646) 580-6076.

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About Ackerman Institute for the Family:

Ackerman Institute for the Family transforms families through service, training & innovation We strengthen families and communities through transformative clinical services, train professionals with focus on equity and excellence, and advance the field of family therapy. Its vision is to provide global leadership in family therapy delivering impactful solutions for diverse families while ensuring sustainable growth, accessibility, and thought leadership in mental health care. The success of the Ackerman Relational Approach is well documented. Ackerman’s noteworthy impact includes: 75% of individuals treated within the family system report a reduction in symptoms of mental health disorders after six months of treatment.

Kahshanna Evans
Kissing Lions Public Relations
+1 646-580-6076
pr@kissinglions.com
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Ackerman Institute transforms families through service, training & innovation

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