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About
Jeff Levine |
“We
are never more fully and wonderfully
human than when we love.” |
Jeffrey D.
Levine |
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When Jeffrey
D. Levine says, “We are here to love;
and to love is to give,”
it is no simplistic pronouncement, but rather
the boiled down wisdom of
a life dedicated to understanding what it
means to be human. As a psychotherapeutic
professional, he has spent more than two
decades helping others find a path to the
meaning in their lives – and to more
loving and growth-oriented relationships.
In fact, Levine’s private practice
focuses on ‘Relationship Counseling,’
addressing any interpersonal dysfunction
– romantic, parent-child, |
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| marital, business.
He incorporates his unique ability to build
a therapeutic relationship that will motivate
and support the sometimes-difficult progress
of therapy, creatively and intuitively bringing
the most appropriate and effective therapeutic
technique to each moment. |
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“To learn to love
ourselves – the love that ultimately
allows us to enjoy healthy relationships
with others – we each need a
relationship with someone who can
help us through consistent, unconditional
and positive regard,” said Levine.
“This is what I try to bring
to those who come to me, most of whom
have not experienced it before. I
am committed to using all my care
and professional skill to create an
environment where it’s possible
to find what I call, ‘The Courage
to Love.’” |
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| The son
of a family physician father and podiatrist
mother, and with other close family
members physicians, Levine came naturally
to his care-providing career. He brings
to it his own desire to help others,
first articulated as a child who answered,
“A psychologist,” when
asked what he wanted to be.This desire
to help led to an ironic detour that,
while it postponed his formal path
to his chosen field, gave him tastes
of the human experience that continue
to enhance his abilities as a therapist.
In 1965 at age 17, he joined the U.S.
Marine Corps and in 1967 volunteered
for Viet Nam, taking to heart |
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| the widely
held belief at the time that he was
protecting his family, country and
countrymen. It was also a purposeful
step onto his own path toward manhood
and meaning. |
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On his homecoming in
late 1969, he faced the dilemmas of
re-entry common to many who shared
the Viet Nam experience: how to carry
on with life? Having achieved the
rank of Black Belt Instructor in Tae
Kwan Do while in the Marines, he continued
to teach martial arts for a while.
He established a retail jewelry business
that appealed to his sense of quality
design and craftsmanship. He played
trumpet and rhythm instruments professionally,
parlaying a passion for music and
years of musical training. He returned
for a period of time to a love established
during childhood – working with
and training performance quarter horses.
He earned his pilot’s license
and became a motorcycle enthusiast.
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Each of these ventures yielded
some satisfaction, but more
important, underscored for Levine
his own human-ness and his need
to seek and find deeper meaning
in his life. By the late 1970s,
he was ready to return to the
formal education required in
order to pursue the path to
his professional dreams. |
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| He earned
his undergraduate degree from Fairleigh
Dickinson University in Teaneck, New
Jersey in 1983 and then completed
an advanced Master of Social Work
degree program at Fordham University
in New York City a year later. He
entered clinical training concurrently
with his university years, working
in a variety of health care and mental
health settings in the New York metropolitan
area. These included the Mt. Kisco
Child Guidance Clinic, the Rockland
County P.I.N.S. Diversion Program,
the Rockland County Psychiatric Crisis
Center in Pomona, and Bergen County
Protective Services for the Frail
Elderly. |
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After graduation
from Fordham, he served in a clinical
staff position at Overlook Hospital
in Summit, New Jersey, counseling
in its Employee Assistance Program.
This program served the employees
of major corporations including Chubb
Insurance, Ciba Geigy, Exxon, Prudential
and Dun & Bradstreet; in addition
to the hospital’s own employees.
He then joined the Greenwich, Connecticut
Department of Social Services as a
Program Coordinator. In this capacity
he worked with individuals diagnosed
with both addictive and mental illnesses.
He also performed psychological evaluations
and provided relapse counseling, counseled
individuals with HIV and AIDS, and
provided clinical supervision to students
from Western Connecticut State University. |
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Beginning
in 1985, Levine also established a
private practice. Since 1997, he has
devoted himself exclusively to private
practice. He has earned the highest
level of clinical certification, as
well as licensure from the New York
State Department of Education. He
is also certified as an Advanced Clinical
Hypnotherapist and is a clinical member
of the American Psychotherapy &
Medical Hypnosis Association. Having
met the rigorous requirements of the
The International Academy of Behavioral
Medicine, Counseling and Pychotherapy,
Inc., Levine was awarded the highest
level of membership in The Academy
- Diplomate In Professional Psychotherapy.
Levine writes about relationship,
love and dating topics and has been
quoted in such national media as Match.com
and MSN.com.
Levine’s clinical positions
and private practice work over the
years have provided a breadth, depth
and diversity of experience that well
serve the individuals, families and
couples from many walks of life who
seek his professional services, and
the children and adolescents who are
referred to him.
“My
experience and studies tell me that
most human suffering -- anxiety, anger,
fear, loneliness, addictive, abusive
and self-destructive behaviors |
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originate and then continue because
of a failure to love -- first oneself,
and then others,” said Levine.
“What I work passionately for
is first to help people understand
that it’s possible for them
to change their lives, and then to
help them find the courage to do it.” |
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