34: Jeffrey Froh, PsyD – Writer, Professor, and Emerging Leader in the Rapidly Expanding Field of Positive Psychology

Masters in Psychology Podcast

Dr. Jeffrey Froh is a writer, professor, and fast becoming a leader in the field of positive psychology. He attended St. Joseph’s University as an undergrad majoring in sociology and minoring in psychology, that is, until his dad asked him “Jeff, what are you gonna do with a degree in sociology?” After reflecting on this, Dr. Froh recalls answering, “I don’t know” to which his dad replied “Well, why don’t you major in Psych and minor in Sociology just so you can ‘hang a shingle.’” It was then that Dr. Froh changed his major and began focusing more on psychology. In this podcast, Dr. Froh recalls his academic and professional journey and shares the significant events, experiences, and people who have impacted his life and career. He discusses the reasons why he attended St. John’s University in Queens, NY and why he received his graduate degrees in School Psychology. Dr. Froh also shares why he chose the PsyD route versus earning a PhD and explains how it eventually helped him when getting an academic position at Hofstra University. He explains “they were looking for someone with a PsyD” to show students that you can go the academic route instead of the practitioner route. Many people automatically associate PhD with academic and PsyD with practitioner so Dr. Froh was happy to help Hofstra University show that this doesn’t have to be the case. During our discussion, he shares how he developed an interest in, and passion for, the rapidly expanding field of positive psychology. Dr. Froh has been teaching at Hofstra University since 2006 and, during this time, he created a Positive Psychology course that is one of the most popular courses in Hofstra’s history. He is a Distinguished Teacher of the Year recipient, and he is a New York State certified school psychologist and a licensed psychologist. Dr. Froh is a past Associate Editor for The Journal of Positive Psychology, and he is the Founder and past Clinical Director of the Positive Psychology Institute for Emerging Adults. Dr. Froh provides guidance and advice to those interested in the field of psychology. Among other things, he believes research and clinical experience is crucial for those interested in attending graduate school in psychology. While discussing his career, Dr. Froh admits “every job that I’ve had, any school psych thing or academic adjunct, whatever, I was able to put the foot in the door was because of a relationship.” He then shares the backstory behind how he got the academic appointment at Hofstra University. He also shares what a typical day looks like as a Professor of Psychology at Hofstra University and reveals that one of the benefits of the job is “you can recreate yourself as a professor, you know, which is one of the beauties of the job.” Dr. Froh explains how he met his wife and how they became co-owners of Positive Psychological Counseling Services, LLC and why, after working so hard to get the practice up and running, he decided to walk away because he thought he was supposed to be doing something else. Dr. Froh explains that the practice, Family Psychology of Long Island in Oakdale (NY), is still up and running and that Dr. Mark Furshpan is running the business and is a phenomenal clinician. Dr. Froh walked away so that he could focus on writing. This led to a discussion of his new book “Thrive: 10 Commandments for 20-Somethings to Live the Best-Life-Possible” and why he wrote it as well as how he used many different sources in the book including Scripture, science, philosophy, Greek mythology, and stories from his clients, students, and personal stories. One unique thing about Dr. Froh that many people may not know is that he loves listening to Christian rap music. In fact, his favorite artist, NF, is actually highlighted in Chapter 5 of his new book. Connect with Jeffrey Froh: Faculty Website | Faculty Profile | Thrive BookConnect with the Show: Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn https://vimeo.com/762135891