Barbara Joy Newman
Barbara Joy Newman, Ph.D. - just Barb to her family, and many friends and colleagues - passed away peacefully at the Kindred Hospice, Lovelace Medical Center surrounded by her husband, Hal; daughter, Dana; and brother, Bill during the evening of March 17, 2018.
Barb was born June 5, 1942 in Auburn, NY and spent her early childhood years there before moving with her family to Huntington Station, NY in 1952. After graduation from Walt Whitman High School in 1959, she enrolled in the intensive, year-round nurse/ educator program at Plattsburgh State Teachers College. She graduated in 1963 both as a Registered Nurse and with a B.S. in Education.
Barb then began her nursing career at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York. In the late 60s and early 70s she was a school nurse/health counselor in several school districts on Long Island, NY. During that time, she married, gave birth to her daughter, Dana, and divorced. She also obtained a Master of Liberal Arts degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.
In 1972, Barb, Dana, and Alice the cat moved to Berkeley, CA, where she became a school nurse/health coordinator in the San Ramon School District. Even though she was a single mom, she found the time to earn her second Master’s degree, this time in Counseling, from California State University, Hayward. She then became a Licensed Marriage, Family and Child Counselor.
In 1974, Barb met her future husband Hal, and thus began a lifelong, ever deepening, mutual love affair. In 1979, Barb moved to Albuquerque, NM to join Hal, and their two families became one – Barb, Hal, Lance, Dana, Mara and Sam. Despite the added parental responsibilities, Barb determined to open her private marriage and family counseling practice that same year.
In order to become the best therapist she could be, Barb enrolled in the Ph.D. program at the Fielding Institute, Santa Barbara, CA, graduating in January, 1994 with a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. Her dissertation, "Adult Daughters as Caregivers to Aging Mothers: Predictors of Satisfaction in Caregiving," challenged the then widespread belief that caring for aging parents was an unrelenting burden. After her internship, Barb obtained her New Mexico Clinical Psychology license in 1997, and began her career as a licensed clinical psychologist and active member of the New Mexico Psychological Association.
In November, 2003 Barb was appointed by then Governor Bill Richardson to the New Mexico Board of Psychological Examiners, where she served until July, 2007. It was during this time that the prescribing privileges rules for licensed psychologists were being formulated. Her unique background as both a nurse and psychologist were instrumental in helping her to facilitate the discussions between the Board of Psychological Examiners and the New Mexico Medical Board. This ultimately resulted in rules that were acceptable to both organizations.
Barb loved her work, and found it almost impossible to give it up entirely, but she gradually reduced her time commitment starting in 2012 so that she and Hal could travel more, and spend more time with their children and six grandchildren. She fully retired only in 2015. In the few short years after that final retirement, her greatest pleasure was taking long, contemplative walks on the beach collecting seashells near their second home in Playa Samara, Costa Rica.
The core of Barb’s life was her commitment to others; to supporting and encouraging her family, her many friends, and her many more clients. It was also a lifetime of learning, not just academically, but also dedicated to gaining an appreciation of the depth and breadth of the human experience, especially through her many travels worldwide. Her passion for living fully and adventurously was with her until the very end. Hers was a life truly well lived, and she will be sorely missed by all who knew and loved her.
The family will have a celebration of Barb’s life in the near future. The date and time will be announced in the next week or so. To receive an announcement, please email:
halnewman@comcast.net CARLISLE CHAPEL 3113 Carlisle Blvd., NE (505) 884-1188 www.danielsfuneral.com