Norine G. Johnson (December 3, 1935 – November 19, 2011) was an American psychologist and a past president of the

American Psychological Association The American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States, with over 133,000 members, including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students. It ha ...

(APA). Johnson was the founding director of psychology for Kennedy Memorial Hospital (later renamed the

Franciscan Hospital for Children The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

), ran a private practice and was on the faculty of

Boston University School of Medicine The Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, formerly the Boston University School of Medicine, is one of the graduate schools of Boston University. Founded in 1848, the medical school was the first institution in the world ...

Biography

Johnson was born in

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

. Her mother, Marie Collins Goode, was a teacher, and her father, Frank O. Goode, was a dentist. Johnson's paternal grandmother was married to a sheriff; he was killed when they were a young couple. Johnson often thought about the strength that her grandmother showed after that loss, and those thoughts inspired some of her professional research interests. Johnson completed a bachelor's degree at

DePauw University DePauw University is a private liberal arts university in Greencastle, Indiana. It has an enrollment of 1,972 students. The school has a Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University. DePauw is a member of both the G ...

. She earned a PhD in clinical psychology from

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...

in 1972. After an internship at

University Hospitals A teaching hospital is a hospital or medical centre that provides medical education and training to future and current health professionals. Teaching hospitals are almost always affiliated with one or more universities and are often co-located ...

in Cleveland, Johnson was one of the earliest members of the budding specialty of pediatric psychology. As a psychologist in private practice, Johnson had a clinical interest in the treatment of adolescent females. She was a consultant for the film '' 5 Girls'', a documentary that followed the growth of five subjects from age 13 to age 17. She served on the faculty of Boston University School of Medicine. Johnson founded a hospital psychology department at Kennedy Memorial Hospital (which later became Franciscan Hospital for Children). After learning that no woman had been president of the Massachusetts Psychological Association in almost 50 years, Johnson ran for and was elected to that office, beginning a two-year term in 1981. She served on the APA Council of Representatives and convinced the organization to sell ''

Psychology Today ''Psychology Today'' is an American media organization with a focus on psychology and human behavior. It began as a bimonthly magazine, which first appeared in 1967. The ''Psychology Today'' website features therapy and health professionals direct ...

''; the APA owned the publication at the time but it was costing the organization millions of dollars. In 1997, she joined the APA Board of Directors. She assumed the APA presidency in 2001. Johnson, who aligned with the

biopsychosocial model Biopsychosocial models are a class of trans-disciplinary models which look at the interconnection between biology, psychology, and socio-environmental factors. These models specifically examine how these aspects play a role in topics ranging from ...

, was APA president when the concept of health was first acknowledged in the association's mission statement. Johnson wrote three books. Her last work, a historical novel titled ''An American Family Myth'', was finished after she was diagnosed with

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...

. She was married to Wayne Woodlief, a columnist with the ''

Boston Herald The ''Boston Herald'' is an American daily newspaper whose primary market is Boston, Massachusetts, and its surrounding area. It was founded in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States. It has been awarded eight Pulit ...

. She died of breast cancer on November 19, 2011. The Society for the Advancement of Psychotherapy (Division 29 of the APA) awards the Norine Johnson, PhD, Psychotherapy Research Grant.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Norine G. American women psychologists Presidents of the American Psychological Association DePauw University alumni Wayne State University alumni Deaths from cancer in Massachusetts 1935 births 2011 deaths 21st-century American women