At the beginning of the new millennium, The New York Institute for Psychotherapy Training in Infancy, Childhood and Adolescence (NYIPT) was founded to help needy children.  The program was developed as a free-standing professional institute based on the curriculum of the Child and Adolescent Therapy Training Program at the New Hope Guild Community Mental Health Centers from 1972-1999.

In the early 1970’s, Jeanette Levitt founded and directed a Child and Adolescent Therapy Training Program, offering low cost, quality training to therapists who worked with children at the New Hope Guild Centers. In 1985, Dr. Norma Simon became the Program Director until 1995 when Dr. Phyllis Cohen took over the Program for the next five years.

In 2000, under the leadership of Dr. Phyllis Cohen, Director, Dr. Carole Grand, Clinical Coordinator, Ms. Mary Tirolo, Co-treasurer, Ms. Gloria Malter, Co-Treasurer, and Ms. Karen Cadwalader, Assistant Program Director, the New York Institute for Psychotherapy Training (NYIPT) was launched.

NYIPT received a provisional charter as a Training Institute, and became an accredited, free-standing Training Program in 2002, offering a certificate in Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy to its graduates. In 2005, NYIPT received its not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) status and Dr. Tracy Simon joined the Program’s Executive Board as the Associate Program Director.

From its inception, the New Hope Guild and NYIPT Programs have graduated over 140 qualified child therapists who have worked with thousands of needy children and parents. Our graduates now teach and supervise countless others in the field of mental health and psychotherapy. 

NYIPT has recently partnered with The Opportunity Charter School in Harlem, as well as with the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS), offering training for trainers, teachers, parents, interns and other mental health workers.