Nancy Eppler-Wolff, PhD ’71

“It is our mission to repair our world (tikkun olam in Hebrew) and leave it in a better place for the next generation.”

Nancy Eppler-Wolff is an outstanding clinical psychologist, educator and researcher in the field of child development. Using a psychodynamic approach, she has been in private clinical practice for more than twenty five years in New York City working with children, adolescents and adults. She also consults with parents and educators in school settings and non-profit agencies about emotional risk-taking, social-emotional development and wellness, self-regulation, and the intersection of learning disabilities and emotional functioning. Nancy’s primary areas of research include healthy risk taking through life and attachment-based school mental health.

A sought-after expert, Nancy presents her scholarly work at national conferences such as those at The Annual Conference on Advancing School Mental Health at the University of Maryland and Columbia University. She has been an adjunct professor and clinical supervisor at both Teacher’s College, Columbia University and at the Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies at Adelphi University. In addition to publishing numerous scholarly papers, Nancy is the author of Raising Children Who Soar: A Guide to Healthy Risk Taking in an Uncertain World, a nationally recognized book on child rearing. She has appeared on informative media shows and has spoken widely to audiences of parents and educators.

Nancy has served as a trustee of Union College, the Riverdale YM/YWHA, and the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services. She enjoys traveling with her family, cycling, skiing and hiking.

Education

Postdoctoral Certificate in Psychoanalysis, New York University

PhD, Psychology, Columbia University

MS, Education, Bankstreet College of Education 

BS, Psychology, Magna Cum Laude, Union College

Current Occupation

Clinical Psychologist, Consultant, Professor, Author

Achievements

• I have been blessed with achieving a satisfying and productive career, but my greatest achievement by far is the creation of my amazing family – husband, John, my three children and their loving partners, and my five wonderful grandchildren
• Author of Raising Children Who Soar: A Guide to Healthy Risk Taking in an Uncertain World
• Creation of SBMHC (school based mental health collaboration, Columbia University) and partner in school, LLC
• Private practice in psychology serving children, adolescents and adults
• Board of Trustees, Union College, Schenectady, NY; chair of Presidents Council