the developing!
These few words capture what I’m about as a developmentalist. Fred Newman and I first coined the phrase as the title of an article we wrote in 2003 which shared our view that everyone has to grow / develop / transform / become other than who we are now, if we’re to create a better world for all.
A Developmentalist’s Guide to Better Mental Health
At the centerpiece of Lois’s new book, A Developmentalist’s Guide to Better Mental Health: Navigating Everyday Life Dilemmas (Routledge), are 50 letters to “The Developmentalist” advice column, asking for help with life’s muddles and impasses. Combined with chapters introducing tenets of “A Developmentalist’s Practice,” A Developmentalist’s Guide is a must-read for all — coaches, educators, parents, friends — who want to help others grow. Say reviewers: “…It’s a powerful, social therapeutic invitation to transform everything!” and “…It embraces life’s challenges as opportunities for social–emotional growth.”
Order Today! 30% discount / free shipping with Promo Code: ADC25
Write to The Developmentalist
“The Developmentalist” is an unusual advice column. People write to Lois asking for help with the “no-way-out” scenarios of their lives. She writes back with direction on how to explore these muddles with others, so as to create a pathway for growth. Practical and philosophical, she invites general readers and practitioners to explore a developmentalist’s practice that they can make their own.
WRITE LOIS WITH YOUR DILEMMAS, & READ NEW LETTERS!
Study & Grow
Says Lois, “I love supporting people to learn and develop—and creating environments with them for that to happen. To me the support and creating are inseparable.”
Meanderings
The latest articles, events, etc from Lois Holzman
Words to Ponder #51
Today’s words to ponder come from David Graeber, American anthropologist and anarchist social and political activist. He died in 2020. “At a mom
24 May, 2026Words to Ponder #50
More words from Raoul Vaneigem Everything that human beings do and undo passes through the mediation of language. The semantic realm is one of the mai
04 May, 2026(Mis)Shapers of Our Lives
We humans—with our species exceptionalism, our arrogance, our smarts and our not so smarts, our bloated brains and shrinking hearts, our degenerating
26 April, 2026
Get In Touch
Lois Holzman is a cofounder with Fred Newman of the East Side Institute for Group and Short Term Psychotherapy and the Institute’s current director. She is a leading proponent of cultural approaches to learning, development and psychotherapy.
Email: lholzman@eastsideinstitute.org
CV: Click Here