Peggy Penn papers

Peggy Maurer Penn was born on February 26, 1931 in McKeesport, Pennsylvania. Before becoming a therapist, Penn was a successful American actress and married to director and film producer Arthur Penn from 1955-2010. Peggy Penn is most notably known for her roles in the films Playhouse 90 (1956), The Alcoa Hour (1955), and Peter Pan (1960). After her acting career, Penn became a therapist in New York City; she was the Supervising Faculty Member of the Ackerman Institute for Family Therapy and did extensive research on the effects of writing in therapy as well as using conversation as a theraputic tool for patients. Penn was Director of Clinical Training at the Ackerman Institute for Family Therapy from 1986-1992, and led various workshops on chronic illness, violence, and gender issues within the family. Penn was also the author of extensive publications including: Creating a Participant Text: Multiple Voices, Narrative Multiplicity and Writing (with Marilyn Frankfurt, Family Process, 1994), Letter Writing in Family Systems (1991), Rape Flashbacks (1985), and Chronic Illness: Writing Voices and Trauma (2001). Because of her extensive research and contribution to family therapy, Penn was honored by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy in 1988. Aside from her work as a therapist, Penn was a Board Member of the Poetry Society of America and New Yorkers for Children. She passed away on July 27, 2012 in New York, NY.