What is AFREM?

AFREM was incorporated on November 18, 2002 and had its organizational meeting in March, 2003. The idea for it came from the 2001 RE Conference. In 2003 a group of mental health professionals and lay persons came together to recognize and preserve the work of Drs. Bernard and Louise Guerney, the developers of Relationship Enhancement® (RE) and filial methods. In recognition of the fact that RE and filial therapeutic methods and psycho-educational programs had been invaluable in the lives of their clients, program participants, and own personal lives, these individuals formed the non-profit membership organization, AFREM. AFREM is devoted to the promotion of RE and filial methods through a variety of activities that serve all its members, who desire to continue to learn more about the application of filial and RE methods in their therapeutic work, programs, ministries and personal life. AFREM members are eligible to serve in the governance of the organization and to contribute their talents to serving its mission.

Governance

AFREM is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. The work of AFREM is facilitated by the work of committees.

Board of Directors

Mary Ortwein

Mary Ortwein, MS, LMFT, is Executive Director of IDEALS of Kentucky and co-author with Dr. Bernard Guerney of the MML Series of RE materials, including Mastering the Mysteries of Love, Love’s Cradle, Ready for Love, and Mastering the Magic of Play. A licensed marriage and family therapist, she is also a mother of two grown sons, their wives, and one grandchild. Mary has a BA from Transylvania University in elementary education and a MS from the University of Kentucky in Family Studies. She is a clinical member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) and a Marriage and Family Therapy supervisor in training. Before coming to IDEALS of Kentucky, Mary taught elementary school seven years, was a full-time wife and mother when her children were small, directed several federal pregnancy, homeless, and VISTA programs, founded SIMON House, was Family Ministry Coordinator for the Catholic Diocese of Lexington, and worked as an in-home therapist, a case manager, and supervisor of mentor and in-home programs for the IMPACT and IMPACT Plus programs in Lexington, Kentucky. [In other words, Mary’s been around a long time!]
For additional information on publications or other matters, query at mary@skillswork.org

Bernard Guerney-Founder

Bernard Guerney, Jr., Ph.D., founder of IDEALS and the National Institute of Relationship Enhancement®, is internationally recognized as one of the most prominent and innovative practitioners of marital and family therapy. His methods have been developed and refined in over thirty five years of practicing, teaching and supervising individual, marital, group, and family therapy. His presentations and workshops have elicited high praise and great enthusiasm on four continents. For their work in developing Relationship Enhancement® therapy and enrichment methods, Dr. Guerney and his wife, Dr. Louise Guerney, have won several national awards. He is a fellow in five APA divisions, a Diplomate in Clinical Psychology, Counseling and Psychotherapy, Behavioral Medicine, and Marital/Family Therapy, a certified group therapist, and an AAMFT-Approved Supervisor. Currently Dr. Guerney is Director of NIRE, Adjunct Professor of Psychology at the University of Maryland, and Professor Emeritus of Family Studies and of Counseling Psychology at Pennsylvania State University, where he founded and directed its Individual and Family Consultation Center for 25 years. Alone or with others he has produced over 80 articles and chapters, four books, and numerous manuals, training tapes, and films in the areas of individual, marital, group, and family therapy. He has served on the editorial board of many marital and family therapy journals. He was one Salvador Minuchin’s co-authors of the family therapy classic Families of the Slums. Dr. Guerney’s own book, Relationship Enhancement: Skill Training Programs for Therapy, Problem Prevention, and Enrichment has been called, by Dr. Douglas Sprenkle, “a seminal and potentially revolutionary work … perhaps the best … integration of theory, research, and practice in the family intervention field.”

*here we will individually list all the board members with a brief bio blurb.

Purposes

The purposes of AFREM are to:

Benefits of AFREM membership:

Contact Information:
John Griffin, AFREM President

griffinphd@msn.com