Jerrold Lee Shapiro

Career

Shapiro was first licensed in Hawaii in 1974 and later in California in 1978. During his career, he has held advanced certifications: A Diplomate from the American Board of Medical Psychotherapists (ABMP, 1987–2010), a Certified Clinical Consultant by American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (1994-2006), certified by the National Registry of Certified Group Therapists (1997-2006), and listed in the National Register of Health Care Providers in Psychology (1978–2019).

From 1970 until 2020, Shapiro was engaged in the part-time practice of individual, group, couple and family psychotherapy. He was a partner in the King Kalakaua Center for Humanistic Psychotherapy in Honolulu from 1974 to 1982, a member of Spectrum Comprehensive Mental Health, and partner in a private practice in Los Altos, CA. He was also a visiting staff counselor at the Counseling Center (Crown & Kresge Colleges), University of California, Santa Cruz 1978–1979.

He was founding/managing partner of Family Business Solutions, a consulting firm that specialized in Family Business. In particular, the consultation is designed to help family and closely held businesses through transitions.

Among his consultations are several with the U.S. Air Force in the Pacific, U.S. Army (Hawaii) and Navy (Pearl Harbor). These have been primarily focused on Command Communications Equal Opportunities, Race Relations, family life and combat veterans' needs.

From 1994 to 2001, Shapiro was president of PsyJourn, a psychotherapy-oriented software company. The company produced homework modules for patients to use between psychotherapy sessions. The modules were successfully clinically tested and shown to enhance the effectiveness of group therapy in the treatment of veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and for training future clinicians at Santa Clara University.

Research

Shapiro's research has ranged from a lengthy series of empirical studies on the outcome effectiveness of group therapy, and interview-based studies of fatherhood, psychotherapist training, couple therapy, and the life transition after midlife. A number of journal, book publications, book chapters, and presentations at professional meetings in each area have ensued.

Based on the pioneering empirical effectiveness research on brief closed groups in the 1970s, he developed a vertically integrated group leader training program. The model program was instituted at the University of Hawaii (1972) and subsequently at Santa Clara University (1982), where it continues. The training involves separate classes in group theory and practice, membership in a training group, advanced class in group leadership, co-leadership of a training group with an experienced professional and finally senior leadership after licensure.

Shapiro's other signature work was a two-decade study of the male experience of fatherhood. These interview and clinically informed studies ranged from expectant fathering (When She’s Pregnant: The Essential Guide for Expectant Fathers, When Men are Pregnant: Needs and Concerns of Expectant Fathers, Becoming a Father: Contemporary Social, Developmental and Clinical Perspectives) to lifelong fatherhood and father-child interactions (The Measure of a Man: Becoming the Father You Wish Your Father Had Been) Most importantly, the work underscores the psychological influence of a man's relationship with his own father (or significant male figures) to the manner in which he subsequently approaches his children. His fatherhood work was part of a renewed interest in men and fatherhood that emerged in the 1980s and 1990s and is finding continuing exploration in the 21st century. Until this time, during most of the Twentieth Century, parenting and research was almost exclusively focused on motherhood.

Media

Shapiro has served as a media expert for the American Psychological Association and for Santa Clara University. He has appeared on over 200 radio and television programs, locally across the U.S. and Canada, nationally ( e.g., CBS morning Show, CBS Evening News, ABC News, NBC, NPR, The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, WWOR, AP Radio, Mutual), and internationally (e.g., AFRTS, CHUM).

His work on fatherhood has been cited with major spreads in a host of popular publications including the newspapers: New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, San Jose Mercury News, Toronto Globe and Mail, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Nashville Banner), popular periodicals, (e.g., Time, People, Parents, Parenting, Self, Bridal Guide, Men’s Health, Ladies Home Journal, Bottom Line Personal, Playboy, Men’s Health), and numerous websites geared to parenting, male-female relationships and child-rearing

Finally, he has authored articles for Parents, The San Francisco Sunday Examiner, and Psychology Today.