Ross V. Speck, MD (1927-2015), was a
psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry. Psychiatrists are physicians who evaluate patients to determine whether their symptoms are the result of a physical illness, a combination of physical and mental ailments or strictly ...
,
psychoanalyst
PsychoanalysisFrom Greek: and is a set of theories and techniques of research to discover unconscious processes and their influence on conscious thought, emotion and behaviour. Based on dream interpretation, psychoanalysis is also a talk th ...
and
family therapist
Family therapy (also referred to as family counseling, family systems therapy, marriage and family therapy, couple and family therapy) is a branch of psychotherapy focused on family, families and couples in intimate relationships to nurture chang ...
. He had a strong interest in
sociology
Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...
and
anthropology
Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, society, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including archaic humans. Social anthropology studies patterns of behav ...
and did research in
family therapy
Family therapy (also referred to as family counseling, family systems therapy, marriage and family therapy, couple and family therapy) is a branch of psychotherapy focused on families and couples in intimate relationships to nurture change and ...
of
schizophrenia
Schizophrenia () is a mental disorder characterized variously by hallucinations (typically, Auditory hallucination#Schizophrenia, hearing voices), delusions, thought disorder, disorganized thinking and behavior, and Reduced affect display, f ...
, drugs,
depression, and
adolescent
Adolescence () is a transitional stage of human physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated w ...
s. He was one of the "first generation" of family therapists and a founder of the Family Institute of Philadelphia. In addition, he was the originator of ''NetWork Therapy''.
Career
A native of
St. Catharines
St. Catharines is the most populous city in Canada's Niagara Region, the eighth largest urban area in the province of Ontario. As of 2021, St. Catharines has an area of and 136,803 residents. It lies in Southern Ontario, south of Toronto ac ...
,
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
, Speck received his medical degree in 1951 from the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
.
He taught at
Thomas Jefferson University
Thomas Jefferson University is a Private university, private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Established in its earliest form in 1824, the university officially combined with Philadelphia University in 2017. ...
and Hahnemann Medical College in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
and at
The Union Institute
Union Institute & University (UI&U) was a Private university, private Distance education, online university that was headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. It also operated satellite campuses in Florida and California.
In early 2023, it began to ...
,
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
,
Ohio
Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
. He became a U.S. citizen in 1957, while working at
Brooke Army Medical Center
Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) is the United States Army's premier medical institution. Located on Fort Sam Houston, BAMC is a 425-bed academic medical center, and is the Department of Defense's largest facility and only Level 1 trauma center ...
.
He was on the faculty of the International R.D. Laing Institute in
St. Gallen,
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
, and was a friend of
Laing's. He was a life fellow of the
American Psychiatric Association
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is the main professional organization of psychiatrists and trainee psychiatrists in the United States, and the largest psychiatric organization in the world. It has more than 39,200 members who are in ...
. In the 1960s, he founded the Family Institute of Philadelphia,
in the neighborhood of
Spring Garden. He also was the Eastern Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute clinical director from 1958 to 1964, a psychiatry professor at Hahnemann Medical College from 1960 to 1970, and worked as a researcher at the Philadelphia Psychiatric Center from 1966 to 1972.
In September 1969, he coined the concept of ''Network Therapy'' in an article co-written with Uri Rueveni.
Among his books are ''Family Networks'' (1972; with
Carolyn Attneave
Carolyn Lewis Attneave (July 2, 1920 – June 22, 1992) was a Native American psychologist. She worked initially for the Oklahoma State Department of Health providing mental health services to seven Native American tribes before she moved to Ph ...
) and ''The New Families'' (1972).
He served on the editorial board of the journals ''
Family Process
''Family Process'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal covering research on family system issues, including policy and applied practice. It is published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Family Process Institute. Since 2007, the journal ...
'', ''Journal of Psychotherapy and the Family'' and ''Journal of Family Psychotherapy.'' Speck also worked as a
Thomas Jefferson University
Thomas Jefferson University is a Private university, private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Established in its earliest form in 1824, the university officially combined with Philadelphia University in 2017. ...
part-time clinical professor of psychiatry from 1980 to 1990, and was a professor at the Union Institute in Cincinnati from 1980 to 1993.
He died at his home in
Thorofare,
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
on May 23, 2015.
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Personal life
Speck was married to psychotherapist
Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of Psychology, psychological methods, particularly when based on regular Conversation, personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase hap ...
Joan Kendig Gill, daughter of Isabelle Kendig
Isabelle Kendig was a prominent Clinical psychology, clinical psychologist in the Mid-20th century baby boom, mid-20th century United States. She was best known as Head Psychologist at St. Elizabeths Hospital in Washington, D.C.Dr. Isabelle Kendig ...
and Howard Belding Gill, and was later known as Joan Lincoln Speck or Joan Speck.
See also
*Family therapy
Family therapy (also referred to as family counseling, family systems therapy, marriage and family therapy, couple and family therapy) is a branch of psychotherapy focused on families and couples in intimate relationships to nurture change and ...
*Social work
Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...
References
Bibliography
*Speck, R.V. & Attneave, C. (1972)
''Family Networks''
New York: Pantheon.
* Speck, R.V. (1972)
''The New Families: youth, communes, and the politics of drugs.''
New York: Basic Books.
*Speck, R.V. (2003). Social Network Intervention. In Sholevar, G.P. & Schwoeri, L.D. (Eds.
''Textbook of Family and Couples Therapy: Clinical Applications.''
Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing Inc.
External links
Ross Speck
entry in Springer
Springer or springers may refer to:
Publishers
* Springer Science+Business Media, aka Springer International Publishing, a worldwide publishing group founded in 1842 in Germany formerly known as Springer-Verlag.
** Springer Nature, a multinationa ...
Reference ''Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Speck, Ross
American psychiatrists
Family therapists
American psychoanalysts
1927 births
2015 deaths