joy riskin

I am a psychiatrist in private practice for over 20 years, treating patients by integrating psychotherapy, psychoanalysis and, when indicated psychopharmacology. As a physician, I am able to evaluate patients with symptoms which may be medical or psychiatric in origin, understanding the mind-body connection. I see a broad range of patients, some suffering from major mental illness to those healthy individuals seeking to learn more about themselves. A major focus of my private practice is working with college and graduate students. I see students as young as seniors in high school and consult to parents of college age students around the country.
I am an Affiliated Psychiatrist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Instructor, Harvard Medical School from 1994-2014. I am a Diplomat, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology re-certified in 2014. I was a staff psychiatrist at Sarah Lawrence College, and more recently, Senior Psychiatric Consultant at Brandeis University from 1997-2012.
I believe that every patient is unique, reflecting their development, family history, neuropsychology, traumas, and life experiences. My role is to help the patient develop an integrated personal narrative, exploring unconscious conflicts, understanding the experience of self in relation to others, and to take responsibility, not just for their difficulties, but their strengths as well.