Mindy Greenstein Ph.D.

About

Mindy Greenstein, Ph.D., is the author of The House on Crash Corner and Other Unavoidable Calamities (Greenpoint Press, 2011) and co-author, with Dr. Jimmie Holland, of Lighter as We Go: Virtues, Character Strengths, and Aging (Oxford University Press, 2014) . She is a clinical psychologist specializing in cancer and aging, as well as a national speaker, writer, mother, and fellow cancer patient. She is a former chief clinical fellow in the Department of Psychiatry at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, where she co-developed Meaning-Centered Group Psychotherapy. Dr. Greenstein has written for the New York Times, Washington Post, Self Magazine and other lay and professional publications.

Books by Mindy Greenstein Ph.D.

Recent Posts

What to Do, and Not Do, When Your Friend Has Cancer

Some suggestions from a psycho-oncologist, 17-year breast cancer survivor, seven-year metastatic breast cancer survivor, and sometimes cranky person.

A Mother's Final Gift

It feels strange being with Ma in the hospital now, where her silence dominates the background din.

It's Cool to Be a Kind Kid

How to raise compassionate, connected children.

Learning Resilience Can Be a Two-Way Street

How long could I stay vibrant and fun instead of the vulnerable cranky version I’m quickly becoming?

The Art of Transcendence Over the Years, Part IV

A meaningful life is made up of more than a string of transportive moments, with dead space in between.

How and Why They Make Us Laugh

Even in the darkest depths, while he was a prisoner in Auschwitz, psychiatrist Viktor Frankl gave himself and a depressed colleague a homework assignment to think of a funny story every day.

The Art of Transcendence Over the Years, Part III

Our relationships become even more precious to us as we get older, even with our pets.

The Art of Transcendence Over the Years, Part II

Experiencing “the purest beauty” can be a transporting experience, taking us to another, lovelier, place even if all we’re doing is sitting in a park.

The Art of Transcendence Over the Years, Part I

There are as many ways of experiencing transcendence as there are people. It can be a religious experience of feeling close to God, or a non-religious but spiritual feeling of connectedness to other people, nature, or the universe, or it can refer to a secular experience of rising above a difficult situation. Sometimes, age can help us be more open to transcendence.

Scenes from Across the Ages

My seventeen year old son came home from school and announced to me, “My social studies teacher is really old.”