• 1975, Nancy Barkley, head of Department of Management, Housing, and Family Development, School of Home Economics, hires James Croake, professor of family therapy at Florida State, to develop family therapy courses.

• By 1979, family therapy master’s students start seeing first clients at Center for Family Services on Jackson Street.

• 1982, Marriage & Family Therapy Doctoral Program accredited by Commission on Accreditation for Marriage & Family Therapy Education; first graduates.

• Early 1980s, Center for Family Services moves to 1601 South Main in Blacksburg.   4 therapy rooms, 4 offices, & seminar room on second floor.

• 1993, founding Center & Program Director James Keller returns to full-time teaching; former Clinical Training Director Bud Protinsky becomes Center & Program Director.   Internship Coordinator Scott Johnson becomes Clinical Training Director. Over 2 thousand families, couples, and individuals served since inception.

• 1996, Founding Director, James Keller, and former Department Head Joe Maxwell, retire.   Anne Prouty hired from Purdue.

• 1997, Center relocates to 840 University City Boulevard in Blacksburg; changes name to Family Therapy Center of Virginia Tech.   Serves clients from eastern West Virginia down to North Carolina, eastward to Salem, and beyond in 60 mile radius.

• 2000, program faculty member and Department Head Mike Sporakowski, retires.

• 2001, Prouty moves to University of Rhode Island; Anna Beth Benningfield, only twice elected president of American Association for Marriage & Family Therapy, becomes Visiting Professor.

• 2002, Bud Protinsky retires.   Lenore McWey hired from Florida State.   Clinical Training Director Scott Johnson becomes Center & Program head; Benningfield takes over as Clinical Training DIrector.   Stephanie Burwell (class of '02) hired for one year as visiting professor.

• 2003, PhD program reaccredited "Without Stipulation."

• 2004, one hundredth doctoral student graduates.   Benningfield tenure ends; McWey joins Florida State faculty.   Maggie Keeling from Texas Tech and Megan Dolbin MacNab from Purdue join faculty.

• 2005, Carole McNamee opens Willowbank Creative Center and launches The Arts in Healthcare Project, dedicated to the use of the creative arts in coping with physical illness.    Fred Piercy and Maggie Keeling travel to Indonesia to help train Indonesian therapists working with survivors of the Great Tsunami of 2004. They receive the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences Excellence in Outreach Award.

• 2006, the Center partners with Roanoke Higher Education Center to create the Virginia Tech Business Forum.

• 2007, in the wake of the April 16th shootings in Norris and Ambler Johnston halls, Center and Program Director Scott Johnson and former faculty member Anna Beth Benningfield are assigned to work with the loved ones of those killed, physically and emotionally injured survivors, and other affected faculty, staff, and students as part of the newly formed Office of Recovery and Support.   Johnson is appointed Associate Director of the Office and Benningfield becomes a Special Assistant to the Provost.   With other ORS staff, they meet with hundreds of students, staff, and faculty, and spend thousands of hours working with families of the victims, survivors and their families. Benningfield also returns to part time teaching in the program.

• 2008, 2nd year student Narkia Green is among the first class of AAMFT Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Doctoral Minority Fellows.   Later that year, first year student Tenille Richardson also receives a SAMHSA Fellowship.   Johnson and Benningfield help provide support for Northern Illinois University, which experiences a mass shooting on its campus on Valentines Day, 2008.

• 2009, the Center completes its 30th year of offering services to individuals, couples, families, groups, and organizations.