Human development professor wins top national award

Fred P. Piercy, professor and Head of the Department of Human Development in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech, was recently honored with the Outstanding Contribution to Marriage and Family Therapy Award from the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT).

A prolific contributor to the field’s literature with 165 published articles, Piercy has authored or edited several books, including the Family Therapy Sourcebook, Research Methods in Family Therapy, the Handbook for the Clinical Treatment of Infidelity, and Family Therapy Education and Supervision. Beyond his books, his articles have made major contributions to the literature on supervision and training, substance abuse and family therapy, HIV issues, international family therapy, and qualitative research methods.

Piercy has served on the editorial review boards of six journals. A recognized leader in the family therapy field internationally, Piercy has taught in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Nepal. Most recently, he was invited to come to Indonesia after the tsunami to train mental health workers in their work with survivors.

A tremendous mentor, Piercy has been an advisor to the winner of the AAMFT student research award on 12 occasions and chaired the doctoral committees of four AAMFT award-winners.

Piercy, also an associate dean in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, provides leadership in the areas of diversity, outreach, and faculty development. Piercy received his Ph.D. in counselor education from the University of Florida, master’s degree. in counseling from the University of South Carolina, and his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Wake Forest University.

The College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences embraces the arts, humanities, social and human sciences, and education. The college nurtures intellect and spirit, enlightens decision-making, inspires positive change, and improves the quality of life for people of all ages. It is home to the departments of Apparel, Housing and Resource Management; Communication; English; Foreign Languages and Literatures; History; Human Development; Interdisciplinary Studies; Music; Philosophy; Political Science; ROTC; Science and Technology in Society; Sociology; Theatre Arts; the School of the Arts; and the School of Education.