Dr. Franchesca Fontus is an Assistant Professor of Couple and Family Therapy at Alliant International University. As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), she provides culturally sensitive therapeutic services to diverse groups of individuals, couples, and families in private practice, specializing in improving mental wellness and relationships. Her clinical experiences include community-based, school-based, and substance-based treatment for children, teens, and adults. As an American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) Clinical Fellow and AAMFT Approved Supervisor, she is passionate about mentoring students, supervisees, and early researchers. Dr. Fontus is informed by a Bowen Family Systems Theory lens and has special research interests in issues of culture & diversity and the lived experiences of therapists.
Additionally, Dr. Fontus served on the Broward Association for Marriage and Family Therapy in South Florida and is a graduate of Nova Southeastern University, having earned Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Family Therapy.
Bowen Family Systems Theory; Trauma; Family Trauma; Couple and Family Relationships; Culture & Diversity: Working clinically with Black, African-American, and Afro-Caribbean Communities, Working clinically with Faith-Based Communities, Exploration of Haitian-American Experiences; MFT Training and Supervision: Exploring Therapists' Experiences of Personal Loss & Impacts on their Clinical Practice, Self-Of-The-Therapist Development
- PhD in Family Therapy, Nova Southeastern University
- MS in Family Therapy
- Approved Supervisor Candidate (2022)
- American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT)
- Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (2018)
- The Florida Department of Health
- State of Florida | License No: MT3464
- Clinical Fellow (2018)
- American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT)
- Diversity And The Family
- Individual And The Family
- MFT Practicum
- Group Therapy
- Fontus, F. (2022, April). Diversity Dialogues: Normalizing Therapy within Black and Brown Communities. Pfeiffer Institute for Marriage and Family Therapy. Pfeiffer University. Workshop presented on Zoom.
- Beliard, C., Cunningham, P., Fontus, F., & Moye, D. (2018). "Therapists of Color: Surviving Long Enough to Keep Fighting." Journal of Systemic Therapies, Vol. 37, No. 1, 2018, pp. 18—26. https://doi.org/10.1521/jsyt.2018.37.1.18
- Fontus, F., Hood, A. (2018, May). Utilizing Systemic Principles to Increase Resiliency in Afro-Caribbean Women Who Have Experienced Trauma. Workshop presented at The Broward Behavioral Health Coalition‚ Behavioral Health Conference, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.