Developed collaboratively by U of L and Jefferson Family Court with initial funding from the Norton Foundation, the program is recognized as one of the nation's best and has created international interest. In 1996, Brown and Mershon traveled to Ireland to share the program with social workers, psychiatrists, lawyers, and judges after the passage of legislation that allowed divorce. Families in Transition is part of the Family Therapy program. Historically the fields of social work and family therapy have been at odds, but their strong relationship at U of L goes back to the 1970s. U of L offers the only nationally recognized master's program for family therapy in a school of social work.
Students can earn both a master's degree in social work and certification in family therapy.
The program recently opened a Family Support Center at U of L, also in partnership with Jefferson Family Court. The center offers a safe place where families in conflict can arrange supervised child visitation or exchange the children for visits without contact between the parents. Another program, called Turning it Around, helps fathers who are late with child support overcome discouragement, take responsibility, and reconnect with their children. In the past, social workers relied on anecdotes and personal feelings to evaluate intervention strategies. Today, computer assessments and statistical analysis are the required forms of documentation.