Dr. Franchesca Fontus is an Assistant Professor of Couple and Family Therapy at Alliant International University's Marital and Family Therapy MA and PhD programs. As a Bowen Family Systems Theory informed therapist, much of her research on families and relationships is guided through a Bowenian lens. She also integrates culturally responsive approaches into her teaching, research, scholarship, mentorship, and practice.
Dr. Fontus served on the board of the Broward Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (BAMFT) in South Florida and at the heart of her work, is a dedication to cultivating the next generation of marriage and family therapists, researchers, supervisors, and scholars for the advancement of systemic change in families and communities.
- Bowen Family Systems Theory
- Cultural Responsiveness in CFT/MFT
- Black, African, Caribbean families and communities
- Christian Faith-Based families and communities
- Relational Therapy; Trauma-Informed Care; Relational Trauma; Personal Loss; Mental Health; Resilience
- MFT Training, Supervision, and Self-of-the-therapist Development
- Exploring the lived experiences of therapists
- Ph.D. in Family Therapy at Nova Southeastern University
- MS in Family Therapy at Nova Southeastern University
- Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in FL & NJ
- AAMFT Clinical Fellow
- AAMFT Approved Supervisor
- Diversity And The Family
- Individual And Family Life Cycle
- MFT Theories & Techniques I
- MFT Theories & Techniques II
- MFT Practicum
- Fontus, F. (2022, October). Therapists’ Experiences of Personal Loss through a Bowen Family Systems Theory Lens and Impacts on their Clinical Practice: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Presented at The Western Pennsylvania Family Center’s 43rd Annual Fall Pittsburgh Family Systems Conference and Symposium.
- Beliard, C., Cunningham, P., Fontus, F., & Moye, D. (2018). Therapists of Color: Surviving Long Enough to Keep Fighting. Journal of Systemic Therapies, Vol. 37, No. 1, 2018, pp. 18—26. https://doi.org/10.1521/jsyt.2018.37.1.18
- Fontus, F., Hood, A. (2018, May). Utilizing Systemic Principles to Increase Resiliency in Afro-Caribbean Women Who Have Experienced Trauma. Workshop presented at The Broward Behavioral Health Coalition’s Behavioral Health Conference, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.