About Steven Friedman, PHD

Dr. Friedman has shown an enduring interest in psychology ever since he researched a paper in the ninth grade on psychiatry as a career. He was a psychology major at Occidental College, graduating in 1966. After obtaining a Master’s Degree in psychology from Illinois Institute of Technology the following year, his psychology career was derailed by a stint as a Naval Officer.

Finishing his graduate education with a Ph.D. in psychology from Claremont Graduate University, he began working in corrections, first with a post-doctoral internship, and then as a staff psychologist with the Federal Prison System.

Before the zeitgeist shifted away from rehabilitation to pure corrections, he ran a well-funded chemical dependency treatment program at the Federal Prison, Terminal Island, San Pedro. Next was employment at a large community mental health center primarily involving clinical supervision of an outpatient substance abuse program. Other responsibilities included the development of an employee assistance program and an assessment center and cross-cultural research of testing instruments. His final employment was at a psychiatry hospital where he became head of psychology services.

Dr. Friedman began full-time private practice in 1987 by joining Gelbart and Associates and consulting to several chemical dependency programs. He is a pragmatically oriented therapist who conceives of psychotherapy as a safe place for self-exploration interspersed with an interactive problem-solving process that utilizes behavioral experimentation. The commonly used word eclectic describes his approach in sessions, but his intellectual home is in cognitive psychology.

In addition to psychotherapy and assessment, he has been a consultant to the Office of Hearings and Appeals, Social Security Administration, and a Commissioner for the Board of Psychology licensing oral exams. Earlier in his career, he was active in teaching psychology and writing professional articles.

Dr. Friedman has a wide range of cultural and intellectual interests. He enjoys actively participating in South Bay recreational opportunities. He wishes to find the time and discipline to write the book on relationships that has been percolating for several years. His recent interest is the psychology of money, which includes helping families successfully solve estate planning and business succession problems.