Who We Are

Hinda Winawer, MSW, LCSW, a New Jersey licensed marriage and family therapist and co-founder of Princeton Family Institute is currently the Executive Director of The Center for Family, Community & Social Justice, Inc. She has taught family and couples therapy at Rutgers University's Graduate School of Social Work and in other academic and clinical settings in the United States, Europe, Latin American and China. Ms. Winawer has authored publications related to couples and family therapy. She is a clinical member of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (AAMFT) and a charter member and serves on the board of directors of the American Family Therapy Academy (AFTA). She has been a psychotherapist, trainer, supervisor, and organizational and clinical consultant in psychiatric hospitals, mental health, human services and substance abuse settings. She is currently a member of the faculty of the Ackerman Institute' for the Family in New York City and a founding member of the Ackerman Institute's "Families, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Project," which was featured in the HBO film "Drinking Apart."

Norbert A. Wetzel, Th.D., a New Jersey licensed psychologist (Lic. # SI 02637) and marriage and family therapist, is co-founder of the Princeton Family Institute. He was visiting professor at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers University, from 1980-1991, specializing in couples and family therapy. Dr. Wetzel was previously faculty at the Family Institute of the University of Heidelberg Medical School.  Among other books and numerous articles, he has co-authored The First Interview with the Family (Stierlin, et. al). Dr. Wetzel is currently Director of Training at The Center for Family, Community & Social Justice, Inc. He frequently lectures and conducts seminars for psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers in the United States and Europe as well as training and organizational consultation in the public and private sectors. Dr. Wetzel is an approved supervisor of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (AAMFT), a charter member of the American Family Therapy Academy (AFTA), and a member of the New Jersey Psychological Association (NJPA).

Glenda Mendelsohn, MSW, LCSW is an experienced couples and family therapist and has been an integral member of our staff since 1995. Ms Mendelsohn combines a strong academic background in the fields of clinical social work and couples and family therapy and has over 20 years of practical experience working in both fields. She is a graduate of the Wurzweiler School of Social Work and completed four years post-graduate studies at the Ackerman Institute for the Family in New York City. She works with couples and families with a wide range of issues, including communication difficulties, learning and social problems in school, and depression and anxiety relating to life’s transitions, changes and stresses. Ms Mendelsohn integrates a family systems perspective in her therapy with individuals. She is also on the faculty of The Center for Family, Community and Social Justice, Inc. where she teaches family therapy theory and practice to mental health and substance abuse professionals.

Deidre Ashton, MSSW, LCSW, is a psychotherapist specializing in the treatment of couples and families. A graduate of the Ackerman Institute for the Family and of Columbia University School of Social Work, she is also a member of the American Family Therapy Academy.  Her work has encompassed psychotherapy with families and couples who are living with problems such as chronic illness, depression, anxiety, substance abuse, intimate partner violence, affairs, as well as family and couple conflict. She has facilitated multi-family and multi-couple groups which address the impact of health issues on relationships, family lifecycle development and functioning.  Currently, Ms. Ashton’s work also focuses on the concerns of lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals and their families such as coming out, negotiation of multiple aspects of identity including race, class, and culture; family and couple conflict, communication difficulties, family planning, and living with the stresses of everyday life.  In her work, she seeks to attend to the ways in which power, privilege and issues of social justice influence relationships.  She is especially drawn to the construction of a narrative that empowers individuals and families to heal through storytelling and witnessing.  Ms. Ashton is on the teaching faculty of the Ackerman Institute for the Family in New York City, and provides clinical supervision and training to family counselors serving middle and high school youth across the state of New Jersey.

Gloria Lopez-Henriquez, MSW, LCSW is a psychotherapist licensed in New Jersey with over 15 years of experience working with families and couples. She holds a Masters degree in counseling from Montclair State University and a Masters degree in social work from Fordham University; she conducts therapy in Spanish and English. She received four years post-graduate training in couples and family therapy at the Ackerman Institute for the Family in NYC. She has done extensive clinical work with families challenged by life transitions. One area of her interest is the impact of migration in the family’s life cycle. Currently, she is involved in two research projects exploring the impact of chronic illness in families. She has presented nationally and internationally on these topics. She taught in the Department of Family and Child Studies at Montclair State University, and was the director of several school-based programs for children and families in NYC. Ms. Lopez-Henriquez is a faculty member of the Center for Family, Community, and Social Justice, Inc. and a consultant to the Goryeb Children’s Hospital’s pediatric diabetes and endocrinology department. Ms. Lopez-Henriquez is a member of the National Association of Social Workers and an early career member of the American Family Therapy Academy (AFTA).