Learning to Play Again

Kathryn Smerling, PhD, is a psychotherapist with advanced degrees in early childhood education, social workand family therapy, specializing in creating healthy and meaningful relationships for children, adolescents, and adults in all stages of life. She is currently a clinical instructor at Mount Sinai Hospital in the department of OBGYN and serves on the Dean’s Council at the New York University School of Social Work. Previously, she was on staff at Columbia University’s Department of Psychiatry and was an instructor at Fordham University in the department of Early Literacy. At the Northside Center for Childhood Development in New York City, she worked as a family therapist, where she utilized play therapy with children and their families, while coordinating access to community resources. At the Institute for the Development of Human Resources Dr. Smerling wrote 25 parenting booklets in English and Spanish. She is a national contributor for CBS,CNN, HLN, and Fox News, as well as ABC News in New York, USA Today, and Vanity Fair. She was a panelist on the Kimberly Guilfoyle Show (FOX) for two years and served as Rosie Pope’s therapist on Bravo’s Pregnant in Heels.