Fred P. Piercy named editor-in-chief of the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy
Fred P. Piercy, a professor in the Department of Human Development, has been named editor-in-chief of the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, the flagship journal of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and the largest family therapy journal in the world, with a circulation of around 35,000.
“I am excited about the opportunity, both because it is something I enjoy doing and because it is a chance to give back to my profession in a meaningful way,” said Piercy. The editorship is a four-year appointment that began with a five-month stint as editor-elect in August of 2011.
Piercy, of Blacksburg, Va., joined Virginia Tech in 2000 as head of the Department of Human Development and served as associate dean of graduate studies and research in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences from 2008 through this past summer. He has taught family therapy for 36 years, 18 of which were at Purdue University.
Piercy’s professional interests include family therapy education, couples enrichment, Internet infidelity, qualitative research, and drug and HIV/AIDS prevention research and intervention. He has authored more than 170 articles, published five books, and received 35 grants. He is the co-editor of “Research Methods in Family Therapy” (2nd Edition) (with Douglas Sprenkle, Guilford Press, 2005) and “Handbook for the Clinical Treatment of Infidelity” (with Katherine Hertlein and Joseph Wetchler, Haworth Press, 2005) and co-author of “Family Therapy Sourcebook” (with Sprenkle, Wetchler, and associates; Guilford Press, 1986, 1996) and “Stop Marital Fights Before they Start” (with Norman Lobsenz, Berkley Press, 1994). Piercy also has written for the popular press through a local newspaper column while at Purdue and in magazines such as Reader’s Digest and Saturday Evening Post.
Piercy has served two times on the board of directors for the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, of which he is also a member and a Fellow. He served as chair of the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education. He also is a member and Fellow of the American Psychological Association.
Piercy has won national and university teaching awards, as well as college awards for administration, outreach, and graduate student advising. He is the recipient of the 2007 Outstanding Contribution to Marriage and Family Therapy Award by the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy and Virginia Tech’s 2007 Alumni Award for Outstanding Graduate Advising.
He has collaborated extensively with colleagues from the University of Indonesia and Atma Jaya University (in Jakarta, Indonesia) and was the principle investigator of a World AIDS Foundation funded project in Indonesia.
Piercy received his doctorate in counselor education from the University of Florida, a master’s degree from the University of South Carolina, and a bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest University.
