Spotlight on Hofstra Alumnus Michael Simon: From trauma to triumph

Michael Simon with his new book, “The Two Roads of Life: Navigating Yourself and Family to Health and Contentment.”

Photo Courtesy of Michael Simon

Michael Simon received his doctorate of psychology in cognitive behavioral approaches to treatment from Hofstra. He recently published his debut book recounting his 45 years of experience as a private practitioner. The book is called “The Two Roads of Life: Navigating Yourself and Family to Health and Contentment,” and is meant to help everyone, children and adults alike, who suffer from emotional and behavioral issues. In the book, Simon discusses techniques for living a fulfilling, happy life.

One of Simon’s main principles is that one can choose to view difficult events in life as learning experiences. Simon understands what it means to learn and grow in the face of difficult circumstances. Raised by Holocaust survivors with deep-rooted trauma, Simon said horror and stress were passed down to his generation.

“Love is not something easily transported by my parents to [their] children. They were still coming out of their own PTSD ... so growing up with my parents was hard,” Simon said. “They were very nice in the community, trying to impress people, [and] at home, they acted out the horrors and terrors they went through.”

Due to his relationship with his parents, Simon said he and his older sister often acted out their own problems. He said he’s thankful to have a better relationship with his sister in the present time. When discussing his parents, Simon expressed gratitude to his mother, for pulling him out of places where he shouldn’t have been. He wasn’t close with his father and there were difficulties in their relationship.

“He started rebuilding his life [by] finding his way [and] he had a lot of business difficulties early in his life but [he] started to get involved with the community, Little League and the Jewish Center to bring himself back into trust,” he said. “Yet, at home, he was still distant and cold and very heavy handed.”

After his father’s tragic death when he was 13, Simon coped by using drugs and alcohol and was never able to feel comfortable with himself. Without support from his extended family, Simon turned to drumming in a band. He said he was happy to have his band during his troubled times. Afterwards, he decided to go to college where he almost flunked out his first year.

“I got a letter saying, well since you’re not in college, you are going to have to be inducted into the army, which was something I wasn’t going to do,” Simon said. “I was a long-haired hippie [and an] anti-war protester and I really believe, strongly, how immoral that war was. So, I went back to college.”

During his time at school, Simon said psychology classes were the only ones that made sense to him. Once he decided he wanted to become a psychiatrist, Simon studied at Hofstra alongside his first wife.

“We grew a lot and gained a lot from Hofstra. Students who came out of Hofstra were highly regarded in the work field because they knew we had a well-rounded background,” he said. “I was very happy to get into Hofstra and [I] gained so much through the program.”

Simon was able to dive back into psychology where he wanted to immortalize the knowledge he gained over the years. Once the pandemic hit, he realized it was the perfect time to sit down and write about his experiences.

“One of my grandchildren was coming along, who had some developmental difficulties, so I wanted to put down my knowledge to have my son and daughter-in-law use,” Simon said. “I’m enjoying my life as I always tell people to do. The book was a good transition point to leave behind the work I did clinically for a while and find some closure to see where life will bring me.”