Core Program Faculty

21 Below is a list of faculty members. There is a Program Director who reports to the Department Chairperson who, in turn, reports to the Dean of Hofstra's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The Core Psy.D. Faculty are specialists in the areas of School and Community Psychology. The Core and Contributing Faculty includes individuals who hold a Diplomate in Professional Psychology and Behavior Therapy, have served as President of the School Division of the New York State Psychological Association, and are nationally recognized in Community Psychology.

CORE PSY.D. PROGRAM FACULTY

Paul Meller, Ph.D. Dr. Meller, Program Director, is trained as a school psychologist and a developmental psychologist. He is a specialist in the interface between school and community psychology and has done significant work in developing prevention programs for children. He is a NY State licensed psychologist and certified school psychologist. Dr. Meller also works with the New York State court system in providing programs for children whose parents are in the process of divorce. He has been a driving force in forging a training liaison between Hofstra’s Psychology Department and the Hofstra Law School. Dr. Meller is the director of the Institute for Family Forensic Studies and the Mediation Program in the Center for Children, Families, and the Law. Jeffrey Froh, Psy.D. Dr. Jeffrey Froh is a writer and Professor of Psychology. He’s the founder, past Clinical Director, and now Research Director of the Positive Psychology Institute for Emerging Adults; he’s also the co-owner of Positive Psychological Counseling Services, PLLC. A Distinguished Teacher of the Year recipient in 2018, Dr. Froh created a Positive Psychology course that’s arguably among the most popular in Hofstra’s history. His books include Activities for Teaching Positive Psychology: A Guide for Instructors (APA), Making Grateful Kids: The Science of Building Character (Templeton Press), and Thrive: 10 Commandments for 20Somethings to Live the Best-Life-Possible (Human Touch Press). His work has been featured in mainstream media, including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal. He loves reading, writing, hiking, listening to Christian rap, and swimming in the Long Island Sound among God’s ice cubes. He and his family eat bagels at the beach most weekends and skip rocks. Sergei Tsytsarev, Ph.D. Dr. Tsytsarev was trained in Russia and has numerous publications in criminal justice and motivational aspects of substance abuse. He has taught at the graduate and undergraduate levels in this country and internationally. Dr. Tsytsarev has been instrumental in arranging international conferences and, in doing so, has given our faculty and students a worldwide presence in psychology. Dr. Tsytsarev is a New York State licensed psychologist. Kim Gilbert, Ph.D. Kim Gilbert, Ph.D. Dr. Gilbert received her Ph.D. in Clinical/School Psychology and is a licensed psychologist and certified school psychologist. Dr. Gilbert is the Director of the Diagnostic and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders, a specialty clinic of the Psychological Evaluation and Research Center at Hofstra University. Dr. Gilbert's expertise is in pervasive developmental disabilities, particularly Autism Spectrum Disorders and special needs assessment. She has explored the efficacy of behavior and language