WRITING ON THE WALL; DOCTOR READS OFFICIAL'S LINES.

Byline: David Greenberg Staff Writer

County Supervisor Frank Schillo is intelligent, driven, well-organized and productive, has good listening skills and a hidden temper - and, ultimately, will do things his way.

This isn't the assessment of the politician's colleagues or even an introspective look at himself.

Rather, it is the analysis of Thousand Oaks psychologist Gerry Langer, a certified graphologist who analyzes handwriting patterns to help determine people's interests, behavior and how well they function.

``If I were looking to hire somebody, this is the person I'd want,'' Langer said of Schillo, after studying a handwritten speech the supervisor gave in 1996.

``He's involved, detail-oriented. He's not somebody who wants to be micromanaged,'' Langer said. ``I just hope this is a guy who gives himself some space and learns how to take a break sometimes.''

Langer, 50, has spent much of his professional life examining thousands of handwriting samples, which he said are a legitimate means of pointing psychologists to the roots of their patients' dilemmas.

The field, which he said has been under the social microscope for at least 300 years, is increasingly popular as a growing body of research points to its validity, he continued.

But that has not halted the scorn of scientists who believe graphology is little more than a psychologist's version of palm reading.

``I see it as a social science - at least when it's practiced well and a person is educated, qualified and experienced,'' said Langer, who is certified by the National Society for Graphology in New York City.

``It's a pseudoscience when it's practiced by charlatans and quacks or people who read quicky books. To be a qualified graphologist takes years of training and viewing thousands of writings.''

Upon examining Schillo's hand-written speech, Langer noted:

A quick, fluid motion that is legible, pointing to a quick mind and the ability to use it.

A lot of pressure applied from pen to pad, which is the sign of someone who can't relax very well.

So-called middle zone writing - letters that are neither large nor small - which indicates a person who deals with the here-and-now realities of life and is less interested in philosophical or spiritual matters.

Writing off the margins, the sign of an individualist.

Schillo, who begrudgingly agreed to be the guinea pig for Langer's analysis, later called the assessment fairly accurate.

He cited his staunch Catholic upbringing and his education at the University of Notre Dame for instilling in him a strong work ethic.

``I think it comes from a heightened awareness that you have a place in this world and responsibility to make your mark,'' Schillo said. ``Some people call it `blooming in place.' That means wherever you are, you should grow intellectually and do your best.''

Schillo added, however, that he might not be the individualist that Langer claims. He said he spends a lot of time listening to others and bases his decisions on their input.

Langer first stumbled into the field of graphology at age 11, when he was perusing the public library stacks in his native Brooklyn.

Although he read a couple of books on the field, his interest soon waned.

``I went on to a zillion other things,'' Langer said. ``When you're 11 years old, there are so many things to be interested in to fire my imagination.''

He earned a bachelor's degree in speech and hearing sciences from Brooklyn College in 1972, then spent much of the next 15 years as a post-production film engineer.

Opting for a career change, he earned a master's degree in psychology from City College of New York in 1988 and a second master's, this one in clinical psychology, from Adelphi University in Garden City, N.Y., in 1989.

Langer completed his doctoral studies in child and clinical psychology from Adelphi in 1993.

His interest in graphology rekindled in 1982 when a friend suggested he study under Felix Klein, who was one of the world's foremost practitioners in the field until his death about three years ago.

Although Langer's 233-page doctoral dissertation concluded that handwriting analysis is a valid and reliable means of treating a patient, he said more conventional methods should not be ignored.

``I would never make a diagnosis based on handwriting,'' he said. ``That would be very irresponsible. Handwriting can give clues or tips that give ideas for questions I'd like to have answered.''

Having moved with his wife and daughter to Thousand Oaks a year ago from Palos Verdes, Langer is about to open up a private practice in the area, where patients may request a handwriting analysis.

Meanwhile, he works as a part-time psychologist for the Las Virgenes Unified School District.

Students there, however, are not subjected to graphology.

``A child's writing and personality in elementary school are not well developed,'' Langer said. ``(Graphology) is not that reliable.''

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Photo: (color) Psychologist Gerry Langer examines a handwriting sample.

Eric Grigorian/Special to the Daily News