The American Family Therapy Association ( AFTA ) will be recognizing Live Oak's Co-Founders, Jeff Levy and Bruce Koff at their annual conference in June. Levy and Koff will be receiving AFTA's 2016 Distinguished Contribution to Social Justice Award.
AFTA is specifically honoring them for their significant career-long contributions in developing and advancing mental health/social work education, training and counseling services to address the needs and concerns of LGBTQ individuals, couples and families; especially their co-founding and ongoing leadership of Live Oak, which AFTA has recognized as providing extraordinary resources to the Chicago community and throughout the midwest region.
Live Oak was founded in 2004 and provides individual, couples, family, and group psychotherapy as well as consultation, training, and supervision for mental health professionals. Prior to founding Live Oak, Koff was in private practice, following many years working in the not-for-profit community-most notably as the first paid Executive Director of The Center on Halsted ( then known as Horizons Community Services ).
Levy was also in private practice, also following many years working in not-for-profit organizations including Teen Living Programs and Lawrence Hall Youth Services. He also worked at The Center for Contextual Change, where he provided social work services to individuals, couples, and families impacted by trauma and violence.
Both Levy and Koff have extensive backgrounds in teaching at the graduate level. Koff taught at the Illinois School for Professional Psychology ( now Argosy ) and at The University of Chicago. Levy continues to teach graduate courses in social work at The University of Chicago, where he has been teaching for 15 years. Levy also taught at UIC's Jane Addams College of Social Work, Aurora University, and Chicago State University.
Both are graduates of UIC's Jane Addams College of Social Work. They meet in 1994 as a result of their collaboration regarding a shared client. In 1999, along with a number of other colleagues in Chicago, they founded 'The Chicago Training Collaborative" ( CTC ) which developed the first postgraduate certificate program in Affirmative Practice with LGBTQ Individuals and their families. The CTC was supported by The Center on Halsted, Howard Brown Health Center, and The Chicago Center for Family Health.
As a result of extensive collaboration and a shared vision about what constituted quality, affirmative, and informed practice for LGBTQ individuals, and a commitment to provide services to other marginalized and disenfranchised populations, they founded Live Oak in 2004. Live Oak is based on the belief that the roots of a healthy life are integrity, authenticity, wholeness, and connection. It's longevity and success is derived from the inspirational courage of their clients, their deep commitment to learning, and a strength-based philosophy that fosters growth, strengthens identity, and promotes change.