William P. Russell, MSW, LCSW, LMFT, BCD
Director of Faculty, Marriage & Family Therapy Program
Clinical Associate Professor of Psychology of Psychology at Northwestern University’s Psychology Department
Academic Bio
William P. Russell is a Clinical Associate Professor of Psychology and the Director of Faculty of the Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy program at Northwestern University. He is also a Senior Staff Therapist at the Family Institute at Northwestern University. Professor Russell is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. He is a Clinical Fellow and an Approved Supervisor of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, a member of the American Family Therapy Academy, and a Board-Certified Diplomate in Clinical Social Work.
Over the course of his 40-plus year career, Professor Russell has practiced systemic psychotherapy, developed and administered community-based mental health services, and trained and supervised therapists. He has worked in academic institutions, community agencies, private practice, a therapeutic school, and the Veterans Administration. He has taught and supervised systemic, integrative psychotherapy in several contexts, with past faculty appointments at The School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University, the Family Systems Program of the Institute for Juvenile Research, and the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Professor Russell has given many presentations on his clinical and academic interests, including talks at national and state-wide professional conferences on the training of marriage and family therapists, the treatment of veterans and their families, and Integrative Systemic Therapy (IST). He has authored journal articles and book chapters on IST as well as other topics related to the practice of couple and family therapy. Professor Russell is lead author of the 2023 book, Integrative Systemic Therapy in Practice: A Clinician’s Handbook and co-author of the 2018 volume, Integrative Systemic Therapy: Metaframeworks for Problem Solving with Individuals, Couples, and Families. He is an editor of the Routledge Family Institute Book Series.