Bonnie Jacobson, Therapist and Author
Bonnie Jacobson, a therapist in private practice in Manhattan for more than 40 years and an adjunct professor of applied psychology at New York University, died at the age of 74 at Lenox Hill Hospital on Sept. 30 after a long illness. She had been a part-time Springs resident for many years.
Dr. Jacobson was a founder of the New York Institute for Psychological Change and a founding member of ELEM, a charitable organization for Israeli youth. She created and endowed a psychology program for N.Y.U. interns, providing psychological help for students in underserved public schools.
In addition to her active practice and involvement at N.Y.U., Dr. Jacobson found time to write seven self-help books, among them “The Shy Single,” “Love Triangles,” “Choose to Be Happily Married,” and “If Only You Would Listen,” written with Guy Kettelhack. She also reviewed books for The East Hampton Star and had been interviewed regularly on radio, television, and in newspapers and magazines.
She was born in Philadelphia on Jan. 5, 1943, one of three children of the former Rose Andress and Charles Singer. She grew up there, graduating from Northeast High School. She received a bachelor’s degree from Temple University in Philadelphia and her Ph.D. from N.Y.U.
Dr. Jacobson was first married to Len Jacobson, whose surname she used and with whom she had two sons. She and her second husband, Arie Shapira, to whom she was married for many years, bought a house in the Clearwater area of Springs.
She was a member of an orthodox Jewish congregation in New York City, Kehilath Jeshurun, as well as the Jewish Center of the Hamptons, and also attended Chabad services. She had family members all over the country, and in Europe and Israel, and visited them as often as possible.
A friend, colleague, and Springs neighbor, Bonnie Maslin, said, “Anyone who knew Bonnie encountered her openness and inclusiveness, which often meant an invitation to a yoga session or a Torah class or a night at the theater, a swim in her pool, or a seat at her Shabbat dinner table.”
Dr. Jacobson’s “many patients found emotional solace and healing through her ministrations,” Dr. Maslin said, adding that she would be remembered “for her red hair, her warm smile, her energy and contagious enthusiasm for living, but above all . . . for her abundant loving-kindness.”
She is survived by her sons, Brad Jacobson of California and Eric Jacobson of Vermont, in addition to her husband. Her mother, Rose Singer, and a sister, Suzanne Stutman, both of Washington, D.C., also survive, as do a brother, Raymond Singer of Santa Fe, N.M., her grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.
She was buried on Oct. 2 next to her father in a cemetery near Philadelphia where a graveside service was held. Those who wish to attend a memorial that is being planned can learn of the details by going to legacy.com.
Corrections: Ms. Jacobson did not die of brain cancer, as an earlier version of her obituary stated. Also, her husband's name is Arie Shapira, not Arie Shapiro, and her brother, Raymond Singer lives in New Mexico, not Manhattan.