Prof. Geller Shulamit
Fields of Research
School of Behavioral Sciences
Body image
Religion
Bariatric surgery
Fibromyalgia
Endometriosis
Postnatal depression
Gay dads
Terrorist organizations
Dreams
Short Bio
Dr. Shulamit Geller is a senior lecturer and chair of the clinical psychology Graduate Program, at the Academic College of Tel-Aviv-Yaffo, Israel. She is a supervising clinical psychologist, a member of the Israeli Institute of Group Analysis, a research fellow at the International Institute for Counter Terrorism (ICT) Herzliya, and in private practice.
Shulamit’s main research interests link social theory and psychoanalytical theory, focusing on human appearance and body image within different cultural and socio-political contexts. Shulamit interested in cross-cultural differences in beauty ideals and body image. Her research seeks to map changing rates of negative body image across different world regions, different religious denominations and medical conditions.
Additionally, Dr. Geller’s training as a group analyst has led her to further study the processes of small medium and large groups, as manifested by group phenomena like terrorist organizations and dreams, and incorporate this perspective into the method and practice of teaching psychoanalytic psychotherapy in general, and group work in specific.
At present Shulamit is mainly involved in the following projects: the detrimental effects of process of transmigration on the body image of migrants; the impact of the transition to fatherhood on the mental health of gay men; the role of body image in mediating the processes involved in coping with chronic illness; the development of a psychological typology of terrorist organizations using group psychology perspectives.
Selected Publications
1. Shenkman, G., Levy, S., Ben-Dor Winkler, Z., Bass, D., & Geller, S. (2022). Higher levels of postnatal depressive symptomatology, posttraumatic growth, and life satisfaction among Gay fathers through surrogacy in comparison to heterosexual fathers: A study in Israel in times of COVID-19. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19, 7946. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19137946
2. Geller, S., Friedman, R., Levy, S., Akerman, J., Van den Brink, G, Romach, G., Shazar, T. & Goldzweig, G. (2022). The Rough Road: A single case study of Dreamtelling in a group during the COVID-19 pandemic and military conflict. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, https://doi.org/ 10.3390/ijerph19127174.
3. Geller, S., Levy, S., Mann, Y., Sela, S., Rafenberg, G., Avitsur. R.(2022). Body appreciation as a protective factor in women with fibromyalgia: an examination of associations between pain perception, social comparison and psychological distress Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology, 40. https://doi.org/10.55563/clinexprheumatol/2otrk6.
4. Geller, S., Levy, S, Ashkeloni, S., Roe, B., Sbiet, E., & Avitsur, R. (2021). Predictors of psychological distress in women with endometriosis: The role of multimorbidity, body image, and self-criticism. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(7), 3453. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18073453
5. Geller, S., Handelzalts, J. E., Levy, S., Boxer, N., Todd, J., & Swami, V. (2020). An examination of the factor structure and preliminary assessment of the psychometric properties of a Hebrew translation of the Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2). Body Image, 34, 145-154.
6. Geller, S., Hyman, O., Levy, S., Jenkins, P., Abu-Abid, S. & Goldzweig, G. (2020). Psychological Distress Characteristics in A mixed Group of Israeli and American Candidates for Surgery. Nutrients
7. Geller, S & Shadach, E. (2019).Terrorist Organizations: Group-Analytic and Psychoanalytic Perspectives. Group Analysis.
8. Geller, S., Dahan, S., Levy, S., Goldzweig, G., Hamdan, S., & Abu-Abid, S. (2019) Changes in Psychological Distress indicators following Bariatric Surgery. Obesity Surgery.
9. Geller, S., Magen, E., Levy, S. & Handelzalts, E.J.(2019). Inkskinned: Gender and Intrapsychic personality aspects affecting intense Tattooing- A moderation Model. Journal of Adult Development.
10. Geller, S & Yagil, Y. (2018). 'Si Vis Vitam, Para Mortem' The Potential Contribution of Terror Management Theory to Psychological Healthcare Practice. Social Work in Health Care.
11. Geller, S., Handelzalts, E.J., Arbel, S., Gelfat, R., Sidi, Y., & Levy, S. (2018). Body image, Strength of faith, and Media Exposure among three denominations of Jewish women. Current Psychology.
12. Geller, S., Shadach, E. (2015). Group Therapy Graduate Seminar: a Developmental Perspective. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 65, 431-444.https://doi.org/10.1521/ijgp.2015.65.3.431
13. Kaplinsky, M. & Geller, S. (2015). The SadoMasochism of Everyday Life Psychoanalytic Inquiry, 35, 245–256.