The Scholar and the Clinician: Michael A. Civin Ph.D. in Profile

Few professionals manage to be genuinely accomplished in both the academic and clinical dimensions of their field. Dr. Michael A. Civin is one of them. Over the course of a career spanning nearly three decades, he has built a practice that is simultaneously deeply personal — grounded in one-on-one work with patients — and broadly influential, through research, teaching, and professional leadership in the New York psychological community.

The academic side of Dr. Civin’s identity took shape long before he ever practiced clinically. His educational journey began at Harvard University, where he earned an A.B. degree cum laude in 1968. He followed that milestone by studying at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, then earning a Master of Arts degree from the University of Oregon in 1970. Years later, he returned to formal study and earned a second M.A. in Clinical Psychology from the Gordon F. Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies at Adelphi University, followed by his Ph.D. from the same institution.

In 1988, he rounded out his credentials with a medical degree from the Pennsylvania Institute of Straight Chiropractic, and in 1993 he earned a Postdoctoral Certificate in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy from Adelphi. This remarkable accumulation of knowledge across multiple disciplines gives Dr. Civin a clinical perspective that is both wide-ranging and deeply nuanced.

As a researcher, he has published extensively in the form of journal articles, white papers, and book chapters, contributing to the profession’s growing understanding of clinical psychology and psychoanalysis. As an educator, he has shared that knowledge directly with students and colleagues through faculty positions at multiple universities and institutions of higher learning. In clinical practice, his work is similarly expansive. He co-founded Rose Hill Psychological Services in 2007 to serve underserved Bronx communities and continues there as senior psychologist. His private practice reaches patients across Manhattan, Astoria, and Bayville. In all settings, Michael A. Civin Ph.D. remains committed to one guiding principle: every patient deserves care that is both excellent and accessible.