Dr. Perry Bell specializes in the treatment of children, adolescents and families. A Morris County native, he received his B.A. in Psychology from Brandeis University, his M.A. and Psy. D. from Rutgers University’s Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology and completed his post-doctoral training under the tutelage of Dr. Steven Tobias, the founder of the Center for Child & Family Development. 

 

Dr. Bell’s practice focuses on teaching the social, emotional, cognitive and behavioral skill sets necessary to be emotionally intelligent and successful throughout development. In working to create a non-judgmental and honest relationship, those working with Dr. Bell will gain a safe space to feel heard while learning concrete tools for current and future success in life.

 

The tools clients learn form a pyramid of skills to improve mental health, develop emotional intelligence and create effective behavioral patterns. Foundationally, these include the ability to identify feelings and label thinking patterns (self awareness), tolerate challenging emotions (self- regulation) and constructively use this information to make better life decisions (social decision making and problem solving). 

 

Those who work with Dr. Bell are often experiencing difficulties managing sadness, anxiety, challenges relating to executive functioning, interpersonal struggles with family and friends and stress relating to school and extracurricular activities.

 

Parents are often involved in the therapeutic process. Dr. Bell has a passion for working with and teaching parents the tools and skills to grow in their own parenting. This process involves learning how to manage conflict, creating a home environment that promotes emotional intelligence, improving parenting decision making and creating a deliberate parenting philosophy. 

 

Dr. Bell has a specific interest in working with school aged high performing athletes to help them meet the demands of expectation, achievement and performance. As a former High School varsity basketball coach he has real world experience helping student-athletes navigate the challenges of life and sports.

 

Dr. Bell also spends much time working with schools, organizations, religious groups, parent groups and teams to develop programs specific to developing social-emotional competence, community development, school culture and character development. This includes consulting with school administrators and related professionals as well as speaking in settings ranging from groups, professional faculty developments and conferences.

 

His writing, curricula and research have been published in a wide variety of in-person and media spaces. Within academia these include the Journal of Education and Urban Policy, the Australian Handbook of School Psychology, the American Educational Research Organization and contributions to other research endeavors. He has also written extensively for local newspaper platforms and for state and professional organizations.

 

Outside of his professional responsibilities, Dr. Bell is an avid percussionist and often plays gigs in NJ and NY. He enjoys reading and learning about philosophy, political science and history. Nature is a major passion in his life and he can be found hiking when not in the office.