Dr. Edwards is currently Director of the Center for the Developing Child & Family at the Ackerman Institute for the Family. Dr. Edwards has a long-standing interest in understanding child development within the intersecting contexts of the family system, culture, and intra-individual levels of neurobiology and psychodynamics. She created The Bright Beginnings Parent-Child Program, a curriculum that enhances the parent-child relationship and promotes mental health and school readiness in infants and toddlers.

Her chapter, “Parenting in Families,” in The Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy, describes the theoretical framework for Bright Beginnings. Dr. Edwards received the 2015 award from the American Family Therapy Academy for “Innovative Contributions to Family Therapy.”

She presents nationally and internationally, writes about parenting and family therapy with young children and family-school collaboration, and maintains a private practice in New York City. She has served as Board Member and Vice-President for the American Family Therapy Academy; she is the current Program Chair for the New York Zero-to-Three Network and advisory editor for Family Process.

Martha E. Edwards, PhD