Janis Altman, a nationally recognized expert on relationships and self-esteem, never strayed far from her early training in movement therapy. Janis’ specialized education echoed through each avenue of her professional and personal life – as a psychotherapist, lecturer, educator and writer – for what would become her personal philosophy of healing. Her pioneering work in movement therapy not only gave life to her successful career, but it helped pave the way for the many emerging mind-body healing techniques of the last decades.
Janis’ philosophy centers on the revelations of the physical self. Her personal anthem – that the body remembers what the mind chooses to forget – is her starting point for letting the wisdom of the body lead the way toward healing and nurturance. This guiding principle poised Janis to explore a range of issues within the psychological self-help movement, including relationship training, self-esteem, stress management, and treatment and intervention of victims of abuse.
Janis’ has brought her healing philosophy to the mainstream for much of her 30-year career, lecturing extensively in universities and schools throughout the country. As keynote speaker at such noted institutions as Harvard University, Barnard College, Columbia University and Penn State, Janis has had the opportunity to reach the leaders of tomorrow on pressing issues such as domestic violence and abusive relationships.
For the last decade, Janis has been sought as an expert on relationships in a number of media venues. In 1999, the Disney Corporation featured Janis as its online Relationship Expert/Advice Columnist on its renowned website Family.com, where Janis provided advice on many topical women’s issues. Her expert advice was also showcased in magazines such as Tango, Life and Style, Us Weekly and Newsweek. In 2005, Janis appeared on ABC News as a domestic violence expert in the Scott Peterson case, and in 1987 on national television news as an expert on child abuse in the Joel Steinberg/Hedda Nussbaum case in New York City.
As Director of Training at Victim Services Agency in New York City, the largest agency of its kind in the world, Janis brought her expertise to a critical group of people – police personnel, firefighters and hospital staff – training these groups to handle difficult scenarios involving childhood sexual abuse, rape and domestic violence. She was later tapped as Director of Corporate Training at Victim Services, training staff of American Express, Philip Morris and other Fortune 500 companies on balancing work and relationships.
Janis was the co-founder of the Institute for Growth and Development, of which she was Executive Director. The Institute’s conferences, workshops, retreats, and support groups continue to support corporations, organizations, and individuals in identifying and treating issues of victimization and abuse, harassment and low self-esteem.
