June 25, 2022
Meet Dr. Steven Ceresnie!
Steven J. Ceresnie, Ph.D., may not quite be the quintessential Renaissance Man,
but if he is not then he will do until one comes along.
Consider these items on his resume: Staff Psychologist at Hawthorn Center, a
psychiatric hospital for children and adolescents in Northville, Michigan; former
President of the Michigan Psychological Association; Michigan Representative to
the Council of Representatives of the American Psychological Association; faculty
member in Behavioral Science at the University of Detroit-Mercy, School of
Dentistry; Independent practice of psychology with children, adolescents, and
adults for more than 40 years; Fellow of the Michigan Psychological Association;
Beth Clark Service Award winner with MPA; Distinguished Psychologist Award by
MPA; Editorial Board member for The Michigan Psychologist.
In addition, Dr. Ceresnie is a voracious reader, who frequently comments on
books he’s read for The Michigan Psychologist, writes a blog called “Notes of a
Psychology Watcher,” is considered to be the resident humorous for the MPA
newsletter, maintains his long-time interest in jazz, and finds time to be a
husband, father and grandfather to two young children.
He earned his Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from Wayne State University
1976, and then went on to do a Post-Doctoral Internship at Hawthorn Center.
Following his internship, he became a staff member at Hawthorn Center for 10
years working with children and adolescents. He started his private practice in
Plymouth in 1979 and still sees patients.
Dr. Ceresnie met his future wife, Patty, during the summer of 1968 at a resort in
South Haven, Michigan. Patty, a singer, was booked in from Chicago as the
vocalist for the band at the resort. As he recalls, “I was attracted to Patty
because she was small, like me, was physically very attractive, had a beautiful
smile, liked to laugh, she was a terrific singer – and she liked my jokes.” After a
summer together, Patty lived with her parents in Livonia, then went back to Los
Angeles where she lived for a while after attending one year of college in her
home town of Des Moines. “She returned to live with her parents in Livonia in
1971 because of a major earthquake in L.A. and hoping to renew our
relationship,” Ceresnie says. “Within weeks after returning Patty joined a popular
wedding band as their singer and we renewed our relationship and married in
1973.”
After they were married, Patty was the leader of a local wedding and party band
for many years. She recently wrote a book (“Bobby Had Game”) about her
famous father who managed African-American barnstorming basketball teams.
She and Steve have two daughters, Sharon, a lawyer, and Barb, who works as a
supervisor staffing sports arenas. Sharon, who lives in Ann Arbor and is married
to a psychologist, has two children – Charlie, age 10, and Mia, age 8.
Dr. Ceresnie began teaching at the University of Detroit - Mercy School of
Dentistry in the late 1970s. He says that he was asked to teach adolescent
psychology to the five students in the two-year Orthodontics graduate program.
“Then I taught behavioral issues to students in dental school,” he recalls. “My
course content included teaching communication skills, dealing with anxious
patients, understanding psychopathology and more.” After 40 years, he retired
from UD-M in 2019.
He says that he loved teaching for the reasons noted in a quote from Joseph
Epstein:
“A few years after I began teaching, it occurred to me that being a teacher - not
being a student - provides the best education. ‘To teach is to learn twice,’ wrote
Joubert, in a simple-sounding maxim that could have several different meanings.
It could mean that one first learns when getting up the material one is about to
teach and then tests and relearns it in the actual teaching. It could mean that
being a teacher offers one a fine chance of a second draft of one's inevitable
inadequate initial education. It could mean that learning, like certain kinds of
love, is better the second time around. It could mean that we are not ready for
education, at any rate of the kind that leads to wisdom, until we are sixty, or
seventy, or beyond. I favor this last interpretation, for it accounts for the strange
feeling that I have had every year of my adult life, which is that only twelve
months ago I was really quite stupid.”
As a decades-long member of MPA, he still enjoys being involved with the
organization. When asked what he likes about MPA,” he replied: “Meeting
psychologists across the state, participating on committees, and keeping up with
legislative activities.” He adds that over the years, he has learned much from his
MPA peers. And he recalls, “In the 1990s, I was chair of the Program Committee,
and our committee invited well-known psychologists to present at conferences. I
particularly enjoyed picking up our guest speakers at the airport and getting to
talk to them.”
One particular encounter stands out for him. “I had the privilege of picking up
Martin Seligman at the airport, and the next evening have a gathering of MPA
members at my house to meet Dr. Seligman, who I now called Marty.”
But, before taking Seligman to his hotel, Dr. Ceresnie took Marty to a local
delicatessen for dinner. “Back then, Marty was a serious fellow, and we were
soon embroiled in a discussion on the topic of sexuality,” Ceresnie recalls. “I had
worked in a child psychiatric hospital for many years and treated many
adolescent males brought in for inpatient treatment because of a history of
sexual perversions – a label not used now. As we waited for our dinner in the
crowded deli, Marty shared some of his experiences treating this sample of
youngsters and stressed the importance of classical and operant conditioning
models of etiology and the benefits of cognitive therapy.
“I had found the work of psychoanalyst Robert Stoller, M.D. most helpful in
treating these trouble youngsters. Stoller had written the book, “Perversion: The
Erotic Form of Hatred,” emphasizing the role of unconscious learning. The part of
our dinner I will never forget is this: Marty said in so many words that my views
were not up with the current research and then he gently raised his voice and
said, ‘Let’s take masturbation for an example.’ I noticed several restaurant
patrons turn their heads our way, and then I said to Marty, ‘Maybe we should
discuss masturbation another time. You’re leaving town tomorrow, and I’m a
regular customer at this deli.’ We both smiled.”
As for hobbies, Steve Ceresnie says his hobbies include, in addition to reading,
listening to music, listening to podcasts and watching movies. He enjoys his
family and his grandchildren. And he says that he still enjoys the challenge of
doing evaluations and psychotherapy. “especially enjoy the privilege of helping
people.” And he adds: “The human condition is so varied even after so many
years of work, that surprises still occur.”
As previously mentioned, he is an avid reader. Books currently on his nightstand
include Healing. Our Path from Mental Illness to Mental Health by Thomas Insel;
When Ideology Meets Reality by Helen Joyce; ADHD 2.0 New Science and
Essential Strategies for Thriving with Distraction --- from Childhood Through
Adulthood by Edward M. Hallowell, and John J. Ratey; Happiness. The Science
Behind Your Smile by Daniel Nettle; and Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene
Editing, and the Future of the Human Race by Walter Isaacson.
Don’t even ask the number of books he has read in the last year.
He comments that he reads so many books because “I enjoy learning from so
many intelligent and wise people and using my imagination in delightful ways.”
How did he become hooked on books? “That happened in elementary school,
and was strongly encouraged by my maternal grandfather,” he says. “I would tell
my grandfather about the books I read. I had a close, warm relationship with
him. He was born in Russia and came here in his early 20’s. Some of his
motivation to get me to read and do well in school was because he started
college as an engineering student but had to drop out because he did not have
enough money to pay for his education. He hoped I would value education. He
then opened up a barber shop in downtown Detroit, a trade he practiced in
Russia. Because of his politics and sense of humor, I’ve thought my grandfather
was an equal combination of Karl and Groucho Marx.”
