Biography

Dr. Andrew Harlem is a licensed clinical psychologist in the San Francisco Bay Area. His clinical specialties include intimacy and sexuality, depression and anxiety, loss and mourning, parenting, life transitions, mid-life issues, work satisfaction, creativity, and executive leadership and coaching.

As a CIIS core faculty member for over sixteen years, Dr. Harlem served as Director of Clinical Training (2006-2010) and led the re-envisioning process that resulted in our cutting-edge educational approach and curriculum design. In addition to teaching courses in psychodynamic psychotherapy, cultural diversity and human development as a core faculty member, Dr. Harlem also developed a unique elective course entitled, Journey to Sri Lanka: An Exploration of Buddhism, Culture & Self. This travel course involved two intensive weeks of experiential learning and cultural immersion in the Sri Lankan countryside. Dr. Harlem’s distinguished record of teaching and service was recognized by the University in 2022, when he was named Professor Emeritus.

Outside of CIIS, Dr. Harlem has served in a variety of leadership roles in the field of professional psychology. He was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown to a four-year term (2012-2016) on the California Board of Psychology, the governmental body that oversees the practice of clinical psychology in the State. Dr. Harlem is also a Past President of the Northern California Society for Psychoanalytic Psychology (NCSPP), the largest Division 39 Chapter of the American Psychological Association (APA) in the United States. He has also served on the Section IV Senate, the Task Force on Immigration, and the Multicultural Concerns Committee of Division 39 (Psychoanalysis) of the American Psychological Association.

Dr. Harlem’s educational background is interdisciplinary. He received a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania, a master’s degree in Human Development from the University of Chicago, and a doctoral degree in Psychology from the University of Chicago. His clinical internship and fellowship were completed at Harvard Medical School/Cambridge Hospital. He is a recipient of multiple award and honors, including the Jacob K. Javits Fellowship in Psychology; the National Institutes of Health Culture, Health & Human Development Fellowship; and the National Institute of Mental Health National Research Service Award in support of his research and writing. He has served as an Associate Editor of Psychoanalytic Dialogues since 2011 and is an active member of the International Association for Relational Psychoanalysis and the Psychotherapy Action Network. His scholarship focuses on the question of therapeutic action, intimate relationships, loss and mourning, child development and parenting, culture, immigration, intimate relationships, and the cultural psychology of Sri Lanka, where he served as a United States Peace Corps volunteer.