Lois Alex, of Brookline and Marion, has died in Boston. She was 70. She had been treated at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

With her were her husband, Peter Lipsitt, their sons, Daniel Lipsitt of San Francisco, California, and Alex Lipsitt of Brooklyn, New York his wife, Maggi Pattillo, and their infant daughter, Fiona.

After graduating Wellesley College, she attended Smith College School for Social Work, graduating from the advanced standing program with a master’s degree in 1975.

A licensed clinical social worker and educator, Lois was in private practice in psychotherapy for more than 40 years.

Fresh out of college, and before graduate school, she worked as a research assistant in studies of the placebo response. Afterward, she worked at Mt. Auburn Hospital with medical-surgical patients and their families to plan aftercare. At Mass Mental Health Center she worked with patients’ families and planned milieu treatment of patients. At Lindemann Mental Health Center she was senior social worker with an inpatient psychiatric unit. After graduate school, she became a teaching fellow in psychiatry, working in the adult outpatient clinic at Tufts-New England Medical Center, and supervising social work trainees and medical students.

At this time she also served as a clinical instructor, Smith College School for Social Work. While teaching, Lois began her individual psychotherapy practice. She saw patients with issues related to reproductive health, postpartum disorders, adjustment to parenthood and balancing work and family.

She was a guest lecturer in psychotherapy at Simmons College School of Social Work in 1992 and together with Judith Arons, MSW, developed a training and consultation program for corporate staff and lay groups on women’s health issues.  Beginning work in the outpatient psychiatry clinic at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in 1994, she soon held the position of lecturer in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School where she was a preceptor for the “Patient-Doctor 1” course.
Beverly Woo, MD, with whom Lois worked at Harvard Medical School, recalled: “[Lois] was widely respected and admired by her colleagues, who valued her insight about patients…. In addition, Lois was a gifted teacher in the patient-doctor course,” which emphasized the facilitation of medical students’ understanding of the experience of patients and families, building of trusting relationships with patients and development of excellent communication skills.

Along the way, Lois Alex was an associate at the Wellesley College Center for Research on Women and founding member of the Clinical Social Work Consortium, a continuing education group for senior clinical social workers. Closely involved in her children’s early Brookline education, she served on parent boards at their public school and later on the parent council, Shady Hill School.

Lois was an avid reader, loved classical music, and made jewelry for friends and family. She was fond of Marion. A strong swimmer, she would swim along the coast of Planting Island while her family tracked her from shore. She is greatly missed by family and friends.

A commemoration of her life will be held Sept. 6 at Point Road Memorial Forest. Remembrances may be sent to Boston Classical Orchestra (www.BostonClassicalOrchestra.org) and Doctors Without Borders (www.doctorswithoutborders.org).