Brief Strategic Family Therapy Institute Executive Director Joan Muir Honored by Marquis Who’s Who
Recognition highlights her leadership, professional achievements, and dedication to advancing family therapy and mental health services
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL, October 26, 2026 (EZ Newswire) -- The executive director of Brief Strategic Family Therapy Institute, Joan A. Muir, PhD, has been honored by Marquis Who’s Who for her distinguished career as a clinical psychologist and her leadership in expanding access to evidence-based mental healthcare.
Dr. Muir has served as executive director of the Brief Strategic Family Therapy Institute at the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine since 2007 and has been a licensed psychologist since 1996.
Developing a Notable Dissemination Model for Brief Strategic Family Therapy
Dr. Muir developed the dissemination model for Brief Strategic Family Therapy (BSFT), an intervention developed by a team of researchers at the University of Miami designed for families of adolescents with substance use and delinquent behavior. The dissemination model lays out requirements for municipalities and community agency executives on engaging families and the selection and training of therapists to build successful BSFT programs.
Under her leadership, the BSFT Institute has implemented the model across 35 states, as well as abroad in Sweden, Puerto Rico, and Hong Kong. Dr. Muir’s achievements include establishing three BSFT programs in Sweden, starting with the city of Stockholm, and nine programs across New York City funded by the New York City Administration for Children's Services.
Advancing the Field of Evidence-Based Therapy
In her role at the Brief Strategic Family Therapy Institute, Dr. Muir has watched the field shift substantially since she began her career three decades ago, toward specialized, evidence-based psychotherapies developed for specific populations and problems. As examples, she points to Brief Strategic Family Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan and her team at the University of Washington for their groundbreaking approaches that have driven measurably better outcomes in mental health treatment.
"Each began the same way: a small group of psychologists identified a problem in their community and pursued research to solve it, without knowing how far the work would eventually reach," said Dr. Muir.
For Brief Strategic Family Therapy, the research was inspired by a group of Cuban psychologists at the University of Miami, led by Dr. Jose Szapoznik, to address challenges experienced by Cuban immigrant and refugee families arriving in Miami. That intervention expanded to African American and Caucasian families over 40 years of research. In 2024, Dr. Muir led the BSFT Institute through a major transition, its acquisition by Empower Community Care, an emerging leader in the global dissemination of evidence-based therapies.Education and Professional Affiliations
Dr. Muir earned a Master of Arts in clinical psychology from Fordham University in 1989 and a Doctor of Philosophy in clinical psychology from the same institution in 1995. She completed a predoctoral fellowship at Yale University School of Medicine in 1993 and postdoctoral fellowships at Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute in 1995.
Dr. Muir remains actively involved with the Association of Black Psychologists, where she served as secretary of the national association and president of the South Florida chapter, which awarded her the chapter's Healing through Leadership Award in 2025. In addition, she has been the recipient of a research fellowship from the National Institute of Mental Health. She has been a member of the American Psychological Association since 1990.
Making an Impact on Clinical Psychology
Dr. Muir retired as executive director of the BSFT Institute in December 2025. Looking ahead, she intends to continue expanding her work to reach families from diverse backgrounds while ensuring her services remain accessible to those who can afford them and those who cannot. She maintains a private practice in Plantation, Florida.
About Joan A. Muir
Joan A. Muir, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist with more than 30 years of experience advancing evidence-based mental healthcare. From 2007 through 2025, she served as executive director of the Brief Strategic Family Therapy (BSFT) Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, developing the dissemination model that expanded the intervention across 35 states, Sweden, Puerto Rico, and Hong Kong. Dr. Muir is actively involved with the Association of Black Psychologists, where she has served as national secretary and president of the South Florida chapter, and is a longtime member of the American Psychological Association. She holds a doctorate in clinical psychology from Fordham University, completed fellowships at Yale and Columbia universities, and maintains a private practice in Plantation, Florida.
About Marquis Who's Who
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who’s Who in America®, Marquis Who’s Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Who’s Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. The suite of Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who’s Who® website, marquiswhoswho.com.
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