Extended Bio:

Jill Leibowitz, Psy.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist and children’s book author with over 25 years of experience working with children, adolescents, adults, and families in her New York City private practice.
She specializes in play therapy, psychotherapy, parenting support, and parent-child work, and she is a member of the Anni Bergman Parent-Infant Home Visiting Program.

Education and Training

Dr. Leibowitz earned a B.A. from Boston College and an M.A. and Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from Yeshiva University’s Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology.

She completed advanced training from both the William Alanson White Institute’s Child and Adolescent Training program and the Anni Bergman Parent-Infant training program. Additionally, she attended the Facilitating Play for Young Children program at Sarah Lawrence College’s Child Development Institute.

Teaching and Supervision

In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Leibowitz teaches and supervises graduate and post-graduate students at several New York universities and institutes.

Her roles have included: adjunct professorships at the City College of New York (Psychology Doctoral program), Columbia University’s Teacher’s College (Master of Psychology program), and Yeshiva University’s Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology (School/Clinical Psychology Doctoral program).

She has served as a guest lecturer at Rutgers University’s University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) and has held faculty positions at The William Alanson White Institute’s Child and Adolescent Training Program and The Harlem Family Institute. She also supervises trainees at the Annie Bergman Parent-infant Training Program.  

Professional Activities

Dr. Leibowitz’s professional activities include co-developing and co-directing parent-child toddler groups with colleagues from the Harlem Family Institute. She has participated on advisory boards for a proposed public school supporting children with reading disabilities and with a group of researchers and play professionals advocating for the importance of play in development. She is also active in academic and media writing and interviews. 

 

Writing and Publications
 

Dr. Leibowitz is the author of the Untold Story of Itsy Bitsy’s Long, Emotional Day and Mama’s Stressed! The Untold Story of Itsy Bitsy and Mama, a children’s book series that models positive parenting skills and facilitates open communication between children and grown-ups. She has published articles in academic journals on attachment theory, emotion communication, and the developmental importance of play. Dr. Leibowitz has also contributed to several blogs and podcasts on topics related to children’s emotional development, play, and emotional literacy.