Curriculum Vitae

EDUCATION 

2015-2017 Certificate in Infant Mental Health, Yale-Austen Riggs Center, Stockbridge, MA 
1976-1984 Doctor of Philosophy, Long Island University, New York
1974-1976 Master of Arts, Long Island University, New York
1966-1970 Bachelor of Arts, Brooklyn College, New York

EMPLOYMENT 

1984-present Clinical Psychologist, Private Practice Adult and Adolescent psychotherapy, evaluation, consultation and supervision.

2010-present Clinical Associate, McLean Hospital supervision and consultation.

1999-2010 Senior Attending Psychologist, McLean Hospital Inpatient and outpatient psychotherapy, consultation, and supervision.

1998-1999 Attending Psychologist, McLean Hospital Inpatient and outpatient psychotherapy, consultation, and supervision.

1989-1998 Associate Attending Psychologist, McLean Hospital Inpatient and outpatient psychotherapy, consultation, and supervision.

1984-1989 Assistant Attending Psychologist, McLean Hospital Inpatient and outpatient psychotherapy, consultation, and supervision.

1989-present Individual Psychotherapy Supervisor for Private Pay Clinicians.

1977-2015 Instructor in Psychology, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School  Teaching and supervision of individual and couples psychotherapy.

1980-1984 Staff Psychologist, Charles River Counseling Center & Hospital Inpatient and outpatient individual and couples psychotherapy. Psychological evaluations and testing.

1978-1980 Staff Psychologist, North Central Massachusetts Community Mental Health Center (Herbert Lipton Center), Fitchburg MA Individual and couples, family and group psychotherapy.

HONORS/ACTIVITIES 

1974-1977 US Veterans Administration Traineeships I, II, III
1979-1983 Clinical Fellow in Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
1984 Teaching Award, Charles River Counseling Center
1989-1991 Professional Assistance Committee, Mass. Psychological Assn.
1991 Significant Paper in Psychotherapy, McLean Hospital Attendings Association
1992-1994 Treasurer, Crimson Mental Health Associates
1995-1996 Board of Trustees, Temple Beth Elohim, Wellesley MA
1995-2002 Youth Advisory Board, Newton Youth Commission, Newton MA
2003 McLean Hospital 25 Years of Service Award
2007 Nominated by NAMI for Heroes in the Fight
2011-2014 Board of Trustees, Temple Beth Elohim, Wellesley MA

 CURRENT MEMBERSHIPS 

Massachusetts Psychological Association
American Psychological Association
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Psychoanalytic Couples and Family Therapy Institute of New England

PRESENTATIONS AND PUBLICATIONS 

Time Limited Couples Therapy Groups based on Object Relational Principles, Fitchburg, MA 1978.

Subliminal Psychodynamic Activation of Symbiotic Fantasies and Verbal Time Estimation. Belmont, MA 1984.

Self Psychology and the Treatment of Severe Psychological Disorders. Stoneham, MA 1985.

Working with People who have Severe Personality Disorders. Augusta and Waterville, ME 1987 & 1988.

Psychotherapy of Women Who Have Been Sexually Abuse as Children. Belmont, MA 1990

Safety in Psychotherapy and Development. Belmont, MA 1991

A Tale of Two Narratives: The Interview with a Suicidal Patient. Belmont, MA 1994.

Principles of Psychotherapy Belmont MA 1994.

Intersubjective Self Psychology. Belmont, MA 1995

Newton Youth Survey 1996 Newton MA 1997

Newton Parents Survey Newton MA 1997-2000

The Pragmatics of Psychotherapy: The Place of Surprise in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy. McLean Hospital. Belmont, MA 2002.

Couples Therapy: Giving Away Psychotherapeutic Practice. McLean Hospital Belmont, MA, 2002.

Freud and After Freud: Postmodern Psychoanalysis. Mini-Course in psychotherapy. Harvard Medical School. April 2003.

Wraparound and Reunification Services: A Psychotherapist's Point of View. Gil Center for Knowledge Formulation and Learning.  Beit Maya, Haifa, Israel. January 11, 2005.

Affect Regulation and Safety in Individual and Couples Therapy. McLean Hospital Psychology Internship Seminar. May 2005.

Affective Development, Affective Neuroscience, and Affective Regulation. McLean Hospital Psychology Internship Seminar. December, 2005.

Coffin Smoke: A Memoir of My Father and a Meditation on Memory, Book Proposal, Work in Progress. 

Psychotherapy and Neuroscience: A Non-Cartesian Synthesis, Work in Progress.

Reading Samuel Psychologically: Biblical Leadership, Shame, and Pride, Work in Progress.   

Saying the Right Thing: Validating your Psychotherapeutic Interventions, Book Proposal, Work in Progress.

 

Contact Dr. Sommer

(781) 237-6550 ext.2

Dr. Leonard J. Sommer

Clinical Psychologist

Availability

Office Hours

Monday:

8:00 am-6:00 pm

Tuesday:

8:00 am-6:00 pm

Wednesday:

8:00 am-6:00 pm

Thursday:

8:00 am-6:00 pm

Friday:

8:00 am-3:00 pm

Saturday:

Closed

Sunday:

Closed