About Dr. Fran Walfish
Frances Walfish, Psy.D. is a leading child and family therapist in private practice in Beverly Hills, CA. Her caring approach, exuberant style, humor, and incisive insights have earned her a sterling reputation in the field. She is an expert consultant for Parents Magazine and Parenting Magazine and is a Psychological Expert professional for The Doctors, CBS2 news, and NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams television shows. She is a regular go-to expert for the Wall Street Journal,Chicago Tribune, the NY Times, and FamilyGoesStrong.com (NBC Universal owned). She has done dozens of interviews for momlogic.com (Warner Brothers owned parenting website) andLifetimeMoms.com (owned by Lifetime TV). She has done over 70 live radio interviews and is the Psychology expert for all celebrity issues popping up in the media for WENN Entertainment.
Dr. Fran Walfish began her professional career when she was hired onto the professional staff of the Julia Ann Singer Preschool Psychiatric Center Cedars-Sinai Medical Center at the young age of eighteen. She worked as a Psycho-Education Therapist, providing individual, group, and family therapy to emotionally disturbed children and their families. She received her B.A. in Psychology and Early Childhood Development in 1975 from Antioch University in Los Angeles and completed her internship at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital Pediatric Ward.
But, in 1978, Fran revealed a “secret” to colleagues and friends – she could sing. After nine months of performing live in Los Angeles nightclubs while working at the hospital, Fran was offered the opportunity to record four songs at A & M Record, and to tour the East Coast as the opening act for Joan Rivers, Rodney Dangerfield, and others. Her four-song opportunity turned into an eighteen-year career as a professional singer.
Entertaining audiences that ranged in number from fifty to five thousand, Fran Walfish received stellar reviews. Variety hailed her as “a true belter,” and she was praised by Hello, Dolly! composer Jerry Herman for her dynamic and dramatic voice.
But child and family therapy called and eighteen years ago, Dr. Walfish returned to the field. She received her M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University and her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Ryokan College. She did her internship at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center under the supervision of pioneering psychiatrist Dr. Saul L. Brown, Director Emeritus of the Department of Family and Child Psychiatry. For five years she worked as a school psychologist to eight hundred children at a private school in Beverly Hills. As Dr. Walfish developed her own full-time private practice, she found her years of performing freed her to combine traditional, highly specialized training with exciting creativity that resonated with her patients and their families.
Over the years, Dr. Walfish has served a diverse patient population, including working-class families as well as Hollywood’s elite, and has achieved recognition as a respected child development specialist and parent educator. In 1991, Barry Diller and Sidney Sheinberg tapped Dr. Walfish to represent the Hollywood Supports HIV/AIDS education campaign, throughout the U.S., and appear in televised public service announcements.
Due to her days as an entertainer, appearing before audiences is second nature to Dr. Walfish. Dr. Walfish has addressed parent groups and teacher training at many of the foremost private schools and early childhood centers on the West Coast, including Oakwood School, the Hollywood Montessori Center, the Bureau of Jewish Education, the Warner Brothers Child Care Center, and the Samuel Goldwyn Children’s Center. She has also spoken at churches and synagogues, and on panels at large national conferences for parents. Among the topics she’s addressed are “Our Children in Crisis” and “Dealing with Temper Tantrums, Anger, and Limit-Setting as Your Child’s Supportive Coach.”
Whatever the venue, the performer in Dr. Fran Walfish still thrives. Whether she is speaking to parents, couples, or addressing childhood issues in such newspapers as The Jewish News (where she had a regular column), or being interviewed for Parents magazine, “America’s #1 family magazine,” her genuine enthusiasm and caring for people shines through. Fran Walfish has had her day in the spotlight. She now loves helping parents and their children shine together.
Dr. Walfish’s professional affiliations include the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, the Association of Child Development Specialists, and the American Psychological Association. She recently completed her tenure as Chair of the Governing Board of the Early Childhood Parenting Center, founded at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. She is also a former member of the Board of the Wilshire Boulevard Temple Mann Family Early Childhood Center, and Caring for Babies with AIDS.
Dr. Walfish still occasionally performs at gala charity events, including a recent crowd of eight hundred at the Beverly Hilton Hotel; a special request from the Council General of the State of Israel, Ehud Danoch, where she performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the Council General’s VIP dinner honoring Israel’s Independence Day; and she sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Dodger Stadium for the L.A. Dodger-San Francisco Giants game.
Dr. Fran Walfish continues to be an expert consultant for Parents magazine and is a medical specialist professional for The Doctors and Dr. Phil television shows. She has a blog posted on LittleSoulProductions.com, has done dozens of interviews for momlogic.com (Warner Brothers owned parenting website), and is a consulting expert for ParentingTeensResourceNetwork.org. Dr. Walfish has been interviewed live on KNX Radio on “Transitioning Back To School After Summer” and “Overload of Homework”. She has written a handout for Los Angeles City Crisis Response Team counselors, staff, and parents on“How To Tell A Child About The Death of a Sibling or Parent”.
