Ross Speck

Ross V. Speck, MD (1927-2015), was a psychiatrist, psychoanalyst and family therapist. He had a strong interest in sociology and anthropology and did research in family therapy of schizophrenia, drugs, depression, and adolescents. He was one of the "first generation" of family therapists and a founder of the Family Institute of Philadelphia.[1] In addition, he was the originator of NetWork Therapy.[2]

A native of St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, Speck received his medical degree in 1951 from the University of Toronto. He taught at Thomas Jefferson University and Hahnemann Medical College in Philadelphia and at The Union Institute, Cincinnati, Ohio. He was on the faculty of the International R.D. Laing Institute [3] in St. Gallen, Switzerland, and was a friend of Laing's. He was a life fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.

Among his books are Family Networks (1972; with Carolyn Attneave) and The New Families (1972). He served on the editorial board of the journals Family Process, Journal of Psychotherapy and the Family and Journal of Family Psychotherapy.

Speck was a widower of psychotherapist Joan Lincoln Speck. He died at his home in , New Jersey on May 23, 2015.

See also[]

• Family therapy
• Social work

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[]

• Family Institute of Philadelphia
• International R.D. Laing Institute
• Obituary (Philadelphia Inquirer)