Emmuel Hallowitz, 80, dies in accident

Hallowitz, a leading expert in group psychotherapy, was a founder and past president of the American Group Psychotherapy Association. He was the only social worker to hold that office.

He also was a member of the prestigious National Academy of Practice in Social Work.

“He was an extremely gifted clinician and administrator,” said Saul Scheidlinger, a long-time friend who is professor emeritus of psychiatry at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.

“He gave lectures around the country on group psychotherapy, organizational development and administration, and human sexuality,” Scheidlinger said. “In fact, he was one of the leaders in the area of sex education. While on the faculty at Chicago, he did training of social workers in the late 1970s and 1980s to help them enhance their sensitivity in dealing with sexual issues.” At the time, sex education was not widely taught.

Hallowitz, a native of New York City, received his undergraduate education at the City College of New York, and an M.S. from the School of Social Work at Columbia University. Before joining the Chicago faculty in 1969, he worked for the Community Service Society in New York and was director of one of its bureau branches where he trained and supervised social workers. He also was director of a branch of the Lincoln Community Mental Health Center in New York City and was on the faculty of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

In addition to his appointment at the University’s School of Social Service Administration, Hallowitz held a joint appointment with the University’s School of Medicine, where he was head of the Department of Social Service at the University Hospitals and Clinics. He retired in 1987.

With his wife, Mary Hallowitz, he was in joint practice at Associates in Counseling, Psychotherapy and Training in Chicago.