Janet Beigel Geringer Woititz (March 27, 1938 – June 7, 1994)''Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014''.
Social Security Administration
The United States Social Security Administration (SSA) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that administers Social Security, a social insurance program consisting of retirement, disability and survivor benefits. To qualify ...
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', June 14, 1994. Accessed October 10, 2013, October 3, 2020. including the 1983 best selling book, ''Adult Children of Alcoholics''.
Biography
Woititz was born Janet Geringer in
Great Neck, New York
Great Neck is a region on Long Island, New York, that covers a peninsula on the North Shore and includes nine villages, among them Great Neck, Great Neck Estates, Great Neck Plaza, Kings Point, and Russell Gardens, and a number of unincorpo ...
in 1938. She earned a bachelor's degree from
Antioch College
Antioch College is a private liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Founded in 1850 by the Christian Connection, the college began operating in 1852 as a non-sectarian institution; politician and education reformer Horace Mann was its ...
and a master's at Montclair State College (since renamed to
Montclair State University
Montclair State University (MSU) is a public research university in Montclair, New Jersey, with parts of the campus extending into Little Falls. As of fall 2018, Montclair State was, by enrollment, the second largest public university in New ...
), where she taught as an adjunct professor. In 1976 she received her doctorate in education at
Rutgers University
Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...
, where during summer she taught at the Rutgers Center for Alcoholic Studies.
In 1983,
Health Communication
Health communication is the study and practice of communicating promotional health information, such as in public health campaigns, health education, and between doctor and patient. The purpose of disseminating health information is to influence ...
s published Woititz's book, ''Adult Children of Alcoholics,'' a trade book that reached best sellers lists. In that text, she highlighted typical patterns that might be found in the families of alcoholics, including an adult's lack of self-esteem and difficulty relating to others. After an expanded edition was printed in 1990, eventually selling 1.8 million copies in English, it was translated into six foreign languages.
Woititz provided a foundation for an organization called
Adult Children of Alcoholics Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA or ACOA) founded circa 1973 is a fellowship of people who desire to recover from the effects of growing up in an alcoholic or otherwise dysfunctional family. ACA membership has few formal requirements. ACA does not ...
(sometimes abbreviated ACoA or ACA) but she was not an official founder of it.
In 1985 she published her second best selling book called ''Struggle for Intimacy,'' of which nearly one million copies were sold in the first year.
Woititz founded the Institute for Counseling and Training of
West Caldwell, New Jersey
West Caldwell is a township located in the West Essex area in northwestern Essex County, New Jersey, United States. It is located approximately west of Manhattan and northwest of Newark. As of the 2010 United States census, the township's po ...
, and served as its president. At the Institute, patients could find therapeutic counseling for problems and disorders ranging from relationships to overeating and other disorders. In addition to her many books and journal publications, Woititz also lectured in the United States and abroad.
She died of cancer on June 7, 1994, at the age of 55, at her home in
Roseland, New Jersey
Roseland is a borough in western Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 5,819,
Selected publications
* Woititz, Janet G. ''Adult children of alcoholics''. Health Communications, Inc., 1983.
* Woititz, Janet G. ''Struggle for intimacy''. Health Communications, Inc., 1985.
* Woititz, Janet Geringer. "Home away from home." Health Communications, Inc., 1987.
* Woitiz, Janet G. ''Healing your sexual self''. Health Communications, 1989.
* Woititz, Janet G. ''Self-sabotage syndrome: Adult children in the workplace''. Health Communications, Inc., 1989.
* Woititz, Janet G. ''Adult children of alcoholics: expanded edition''. Health Communications, Inc., 1990.
* Woititz, Janet G. ''The complete Acoa sourcebook: Adult children of alcoholics at home, at work and in love''. Health Communications, Inc., 2002.
* Woititz, Janet G. "Alcoholism and the family: A survey of the literature." ''Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education'' (1978).
* Woititz, Janet G., and Alan Garner. ''Lifeskills for adult children''. Simon and Schuster, 2012.
* Woititz, Janet G., "The Intimacy Struggle" Health Communications, Inc. 1993.
See also
*
Adult Children of Alcoholics Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA or ACOA) founded circa 1973 is a fellowship of people who desire to recover from the effects of growing up in an alcoholic or otherwise dysfunctional family. ACA membership has few formal requirements. ACA does not ...