Dr. B.J. Cling, Ph.D., J.D.

Dr. Cling is a clinical psychologist and a lawyer. She has both a clinical and a forensic private practice in NYC and teaches at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in the areas of psychology and law. She is a clinical supervisor in the psychology internship program at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital and also conducts psychological evaluations of victims of domestic violence in complex custody evaluations.

Among her recent publications are her chapter, Interviewing Battered Women in Lawyer’s Manual on Domestic Violence, her book, Sexualized Violence Against Women and Children. and her chapter, Allegations of Child Sexual Abuse in Child Custody Disputes in A Handbook of Divorce and Custody. She is also known for her psychological evaluations of victims of human trafficking and the effects of traumatic bonding. 

Dr. Cling received her Ph.D. from NYU and her J.D. from UCLA.  She also received a postdoctoral certificate in forensic psychology from USC and postdoctoral degrees in psychoanalysis from both NYU and the Institute for Psychoanalytic Training & Research (IPTAR). As a lawyer, Dr. Cling clerked on the 9th Circuit for Judge Arthur Alarcon, and also in the Bankruptcy Court of the Southern District of NY for Chief Judge Burton Lifland. 

She has served on the Ethics Board of the New York State Psychological Association since 2003, is a founding member of the interdisciplinary Mental Health Professionals on Domestic Violence, has been a member of the steering committee of the NYU Graduate Society Referral Service since 1998, and is currently on the Board of Directors of IPTAR.