David A. Halperin

David A. Halperin (September 1, 1934 - December 3, 2003) was an American psychiatrist, editor and author. Dr. Halperin was Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Dr. Halperin, was a published poet and also the editor of Psychodynamic Perspectives on Religion, Sect, and Cult, as well as other articles on cults. Dr. Halperin served as a board member of the American Family Foundation, later called the International Cultic Studies Association.

He was also Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychology at John Jay College, City University of New York, New York, and Associate Director of Group Therapy and Training Analyst at the Contemporary Center for Advanced Psychoanalytic Studies. Dr. Halperin also served on the Professional Advisory Board of the False Memory Syndrome Foundation. Dr. Halperin was a member of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, and Consulting Psychiatrist on the Custody Panel of the New York State Supreme Court.

He appeared as a commentator on the nationally-broadcast television shows: "Geraldo," "Maury Povich," "Larry King Live" and "Sonya Live". . He was a member and a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. Dr. Halperin was also a Fellow of the American Group Psychotherapy Association. He helped to found the Cult Hotline and Clinic, which was awarded the William Lederer Award from the National Jewish Child Guidance Association.

Education

 * M.D., University of Virginia Medical School, 1960
 * B.S., Harvard University, 1956
 * Stuyvesant High School, New York City, New York, 1951

Awards, honors, professional associations

 * William Lederer Award, National Jewish Child Guidance Association awarded to Cult Hotline and Clinic, founded by Dr. Halperin
 * Fellow, American Psychiatric Association
 * Fellow, American Group Psychotherapy Association
 * Consulting Psychiatrist, Custody Panel of the New York State Supreme Court
 * Member, Professional Advisory Board, False Memory Syndrome Foundation
 * Member, American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law
 * Board Member, American Family Foundation

Books

 * Group Therapy With Children and Adolescents, Co-Editor with Paul Kymissis, American Psychiatric Publishing, January 1996
 * Group Psychodynamics: New Paradigms and New Perspectives, Year Book Medical Publishers, Incorporated, March 1989
 * Psychodynamic Perspectives on Religion, Sect, and Cult, J. Wright Psg Inc., January 1983

Articles

 * "Cults and Drug Use", David A. Halperin, James T. McDonough, Jr., Macmillan Reference USA's Encyclopedia of Drugs, Alcohol and Addictive Behavior, 1995, new ed. 2001
 * "Training Issues for Cult Treatment Programs", Cultic Studies Journal, Vol.1, No. 2
 * "Cults and Children: The Abuse of the Young", David A. Halperin, M.D., Arnold Markowitz, M.S.W., Cultic Studies Journal, Vol.1, No. 2
 * Residential Treatment: The Potential for Cultic Evolution, David A. Halperin, M.D., Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, Arnold Markowitz, M.S.W., Cult Hotline and Clinic, New York
 * The self-help group: The mental health professional's role, Group, Publisher: Springer Netherlands, Volume 11, Number 1 / March, 1987, First Presented at the Division of Group Psychotherapy of the Department of Psychiatry of the Mount Sinai Hospital
 * Group processes in cult affiliation and recruitment, Group, Volume 6, Number 2 / June, 1982
 * "The Appeal of the Impossible and the Efflorescence of the Unbelievable: A Psychoanalytic Perspective on Cults and Occultism", Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 9, No. 2
 * "The Dark Underside: Cultic Misappropriation of Psychiatry and Psychoanalysis", Cultic Studies Journal, Vol.10, No. 1