Jeremy’s contributions to the Department and to the field of Psychotherapy Research cannot be underestimated. He joined the New School faculty in 1993, shortly after the APA had placed the Clinical Psychology Program on probation. He quickly found himself Director of Clinical Studies and later Chair of the Department, and with characteristic energy and determination, worked not only to move the Clinical Psychology Program to full accreditation, but to make it the vibrant, respected program it is today. During this time period, he established a training facility at Beth Israel Medical Center, the low-cost New School Psychotherapy Research Program, and the Sándor Ferenczi Center. He was a brilliant mentor to many students and an inspired instructor.
Outside the New School, Jeremy’s intellectual curiosity and broadminded approach to all things psychological held him in good stead. He was an expert in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy before he jointed forces with Les Greenberg to provide the theoretical foundations for Emotion-Focused Therapy. He was also a preeminent psychotherapy researcher, studying the processes underlying rupture and repair in therapeutic alliances. He wrote or edited eight books and a large number of articles and chapters. He also developed for the APA a series of training DVDs. In recognition of his brilliant contributions, the Society for Psychotherapy Research awarded him their Distinguished Research Career Award and Division 39 of the APA honored him with the Award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychotherapy Research. He also served as President of the International Association for Relational Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy. Jeremy’s contributions did not end with his envelope-pushing research on psychotherapy or his knack for decisive institution building. He also wrote insightfully about Buddhism and psychoanalysis and on critical approaches to Psychology. In addition to his faculty position at the New School, he was also on the faculty of New York University Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis.
We want to extend our condolences to Jeremy's wife, Jenny, and his two children, Ayla and Ellie. We will miss him.
- Howard Steele, Ph.D. and Bill Hirst, Ph.D.
Mourning the loss of a colleague, a friend and a gentle-man.
This is a very sad day at The New School for Social Research and at Public Seminar. Jeremy Safran, a distinguished professor in our Psychology Department and a senior editor of Public Seminar, a dear colleague and friend to many of us, was murdered yesterday in his Brooklyn home. We are in shock, as we are trying to respond.
This morning, a community gathering was called by our dean, Will Milberg. Colleagues, administrators, and most movingly, Jeremy’s students visibly stricken with grief, tried to console each other.
An announcement was made by the co-chairs of the Psychology Department, Bill Hirst and Howard Steele (who also happens to be Jeremy’s first cousin):
“As most of you know, Jeremy Safran was brutally murdered yesterday. Jeremy’s contributions to the Department and to the field of Psychotherapy Research cannot be underestimated. He joined the New School faculty in 1993, shortly after the APA had placed the Clinical Psychology Program on probation. He quickly found himself Director of Clinical Studies and later Chair of the Department, and with characteristic energy and determination, worked not only to move the Clinical Psychology Program to full accreditation, but to make it the vibrant, respected program it is today. During this time period, he established a training facility at Beth Israel Medical Center, the low-cost New School Psychotherapy Research Program, and the Sándor Ferenczi Center. He was a brilliant mentor to many students and an inspired instructor.
Outside the New School, Jeremy’s intellectual curiosity and broadminded approach to all things psychological held him in good stead. He was an expert in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy before he joined forces with Les Greenberg to provide the theoretical foundations for Emotion-Focused Therapy. He was also a preeminent psychotherapy researcher, studying the processes underlying rupture and repair in therapeutic alliances. He wrote or edited eight books and a large number of articles and chapters. He also developed for the APA a series of training DVDs. In recognition of his brilliant contributions, the Society for Psychotherapy Research awarded him their Distinguished Research Career Award and Division 39 of the APA honored him with the Award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychotherapy Research. He also served as President of the International Association for Relational Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy. Jeremy’s contributions did not end with his envelope-pushing research on psychotherapy or his knack for decisive institution building. He also wrote insightfully about Buddhism and psychoanalysis and on critical approaches to Psychology. In addition to his faculty position at the New School, he was also on the faculty of New York University Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis.
We want to extend our condolences to Jeremy’s wife, Jenny, and his two children, Ayla and Ellie. We will miss him.”
Jeremy appeared on Public Seminar as a public intellectual. He was an active member of our team from the very beginning. He took part in and informed our deliberations, as we launched and developed our venture in innovative publishing. He realized in his posts our goals: drawing upon his expertise, he addressed the non-expert public (including me) about “enduring problems of the human condition, responding to the pressing issues of the day.” He wrote many pieces and solicited even more from colleagues from around the world, and students close to home. He wrote one of our most popular posts, on the rise, fall and possible resurrection of psychoanalysis in the United States, “Who’s Afraid of Sigmund Freud?” I love the piece because it has been very popular and is also excellent. He critically reported on psychology’s involvement in America’s torture regime: “Psychology and Torture.” A few weeks ago he wrote “Authenticity American Style,” on “the meaning of authenticity in the era of “reality show” politics.” He combined sober professional judgment, with intellectual playfulness.
On a personal note: I knew Jeremy as a kind person, a gentle-man, also a bit forgetful, as am I. Although we were not intimate friends, we were close colleagues. I admired him for his commitments: mental health, personal wellbeing and the public good were not simply words for him. We worked together with mutual respect. I enjoyed him as a person. Last Thursday, we had our last monthly Senior Editors’ meeting for this academic year. He was late. I told my colleagues I thought this meant he wouldn’t be coming. When he arrived, I pointed this out to him. Since Public Seminar and The New School’s Publishing Initiative have moved up to their new digs, before each meeting, I received a note from Jeremy asking me to remind him where the meeting would be held. Last week, he came without asking.
An additional note from Ali Shames–Dawson, an important editor on our team: “I am inclined just to add how much he brought dedicated students to Public Seminar — I am here because he insisted that we must speak immediately one day, my first ever Jeremy at-home phone call, and he excitedly told me of the opportunity to be an editorial fellow, back in 2015. Since then, he has solicited and supported a wealth of student writing and PS involvement, as was his way. His deep dedication to spreading his commitments, particularly to critical intellectual engagement beyond the boundaries of disciplinary psychology and in socially engaged scholarship, and involving students in meaningful projects is something I know everyone who reads this who knew him will appreciate and resonate with.”
- Jeffrey C. Goldfarb, the Michael E. Gellert Professor of Sociology at The New School for Social Research, is the Publisher and founder of Public Seminar.
Jeremy Safran was a beloved teacher (New School, NYU Postdoc, Stephen Mitchell Center for Relational Studies among others), Relational psychoanalytic practitioner, thinker and prolific writer, integrative psychotherapist, and sought after clinical supervisor and lecturer throughout the United States and internationally. He was instrumental in the founding and running of the Sandor Ferenczi Center at the New School (with Lew Aron and Adrienne Harris) and as we’ve known through the years and I’m now hearing again from a number of his former students, he was a very generous and nurturing dissertation committee member and chair and mentor to numerous graduate and postgraduate students. Perhaps most notable as I mentioned in my earlier post and as so many of you are fortunate to know, Jeremy was also a warm and loving man, deeply caring and committed to his work, personal and professional relationships.
Jeremy was a rare combination of practitioner, teacher/supervisor, academic scholar, program administrator, and researcher. Many people are good at one or more of these endeavors—Jeremy excelled at each. Please see below from Beatrice Beebe, who spoke these words when she presented Jeremy with last year’s Division 39 Research Award. I thank her for sending them to us today:
Jeremy Safran has been an inspiring leader in research on the psychotherapy process for a quarter of a century. Over the last 25 years, Jeremy Safran and his research team have been conducting empirical studies of therapeutic impasses, and disturbances in therapeutic alliance, which are inevitable in clinical work. His focus on modes of resolving impasses is essential to our understanding of therapeutic action. His use of the concept of disruption and repair has an important link to infant research on this topic. Moreover, he is helping us better understand the qualities that enable therapists to work through impasses, particularly capacities for mentalization. Jeremy Safran’s unwavering dedication to this topic over several decades has generated an important and powerful body of work. We are grateful for his outstanding contribution.
Warm regards and deepest sympathies to his family, colleagues, patients and friends,
- Steven Kuchuck, IARPP President
The last time I saw Jeremy was at the PDM-2 Conference that was held at the New School in June 2017. There was something comforting and reassuring about seeing him there. I fully expected to see him at the conference given how dedicated he was to being an educator, clinician and researcher.
Jeremy’s passion for psychotherapy was evident in the work he did through the Brief Psychotherapy Research Project, the articles wrote and through the seminars he taught. I feel fortunate to have been able to work with him and was inspired by his ardent commitment to the therapeutic process, the analysis of therapeutic impasses and their resolution. The experience was pivotal in my development as a clinician.
As bright, knowledgeable and published as Jeremy was, he never made you feel less than. He seemed genuinely interested in your experiences and opinions, whether they be on a given clinical topic that was being discussed or a school of thought or processing an interaction with a client. Regardless of the context, Jeremy made you feel welcomed and valued. He made you feel that you had something of consequence to offer.
As an alum, whenever I received an email from Jeremy about an article that he wanted to share or concerns about the impact of a given political or social issue, I came to appreciate how much Jeremy embodied the spirit of the New School. Like the New School, Jeremy was committed to social justice, intellectual freedom, activism and progressive thought. As heartbreaking as it is to no longer have Jeremy with us physically, it gives me some comfort to know that these values will live on in the hearts of those who have had the good fortune of knowing Jeremy.
- Roueida Ghadban, Alum
I am writing on behalf of the American Psychological Association (APA) to express my sincere condolences upon the recent death of psychology professor, Dr. Jeremy Safran. The loss of this faculty member under such tragic circumstances is shocking and heartbreaking. Dr. Safran’s legacy as a groundbreaking psychotherapy researcher will not be forgotten. The outpouring of sympathy among the APA community has illustrated just how deeply Dr. Safran was admired and respected by his colleagues.
My deepest sympathy goes out to Dr. Safran’s family, his colleagues, and the larger New School community during this most difficult time.
- Arthur C. Evans, Jr., PhD. Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice President
Jeremy was a prolific writer, and thinker who paved the way for many of us who had benefited so much from reading his material. It is with much regret that we received the horrific news which stripped us of such a cherished individual. Although we were never acquainted personally, I would like to represent the Psychoanalytic Association of Singapore to wish his family peace, deep condolences for their loss, and that his memory be a lasting consolation during this time of mourning. Warm regards from Singapore.
- Dr. Shawn Ee, Acting President, Psychoanalytic Association of Singapore (PAS)
The terrible news reached me when my seminar met last Wednesday. I had not heard it until they told me and then the students and I were shocked and unbelieving. Behind that, their love for you was apparent and they were able to express it amidst their tears. My own reaction was more selfish - you and I have had many brief, that is broken-off discussions, aborted because one or both of us had to hurry off to class. Now there will never be the time we owed each other to continue our conversation until the essential agreement I am sure was there would have a chance to show and become elaborated. I deeply regret the loss of a man of substance and scholarship.
- Herb Schlesinger
I first met Jeremy in 1993 right after he started at the New School, but I last saw him about a year and a half ago at a school event. He didn’t recognize me at first—it had been quite a few years—but when I re-introduced myself his face lit up and he pulled me in for a big hug. At the time the gesture caught me off guard, but it also immediately reminded me of so much about Jeremy that had faded in my memory: His warmth, his kindness, his instinctive sense of connection with his students, and his almost boyish exuberance for our profession, and more fundamentally, for sharing it with other people. Like so many of us I think I will miss Jeremy not only as a teacher and mentor, but for who he was as a person. My heart goes out to his students, his colleagues, and most of all to his family. He will be fondly remembered and greatly missed.
- Sean Condon, Ph.D.
Today casts a long dark shadow of the shocking loss of our dear colleague — and my personal friend — Jeremy Safran. It’s especially hard to put into words what this loss means because it is so fresh, and because Jeremy was so important in many aspects of our lives as a psychoanalyst, an author, a researcher, a Buddhist practitioner, a teacher, and a human being. I will miss him keenly.
And I am writing here, not only for myself, but for the community of mental health professionals that Jeremy has influenced in Vermont through his presentations and his research, especially the Vermont Association for Psychoanalytic Studies, the Gibbard Lecture Series at the University of Vermont, and the Vermont Institute for the Psychotherapies where his presentations, writings, and personal relationships have made an enduring impact. Jeremy was an original thinker and a unique leader among Relational Psychoanalysts, not simply because he was a Buddhist and a psychoanalyst, but also because he had “come over” to our side after having been a very successful practitioner, researcher, and author in Cognitive Psychology.
Jeremy’s contributions resonated with the breadth of his experience and also expressed his sense of humor and his deep interest in simply living. When he took over Hans Strupps’s seminal research on the curative factors and the role of conflict in psychoanalytic therapy, I was so happy because I knew that Jeremy would carry on in the venerable tradition of Strupp. Indeed, that was true and Jeremy’s work even exceeded my high expectations for it. It’s almost impossible to believe he is now gone and that his work will be carried forth by someone else.
I don’t recall exactly how or when I met Jeremy, but I believe it was in the late 1990s. He and I began to collaborate and to share our experiences very quickly, and I found him to be a person of great integrity and a scholar of great accomplishment. Soon we were collaborating on putting together the first program of Enlightening Conversations at New York University in 2007. Over 550 people attended and, in large part, the success of that conference related to Jeremy working closely with those of us who met as a Planning Board at Tricycle Foundation. After that beginning, Jeremy also came up to Vermont where he was a keynote speaker for the Vermont Association for Psychoanalytic Studies and the presenter for the prestigious Annual Gibbard Lecture at the University of Vermont Department of Psychiatry. In all of these capacities, Jeremy was engaged, lively, intelligent, generous, funny, and warm. He was able to draw on his own vulnerabilities and humanity, as much as his research and knowledge.
In all the ways I have known Jeremy, and I believe this is true for all of us who have been influenced by his contributions in Vermont, he has been an extraordinary teacher. He stuck with the things he started and he dug deep into whatever the project meant. It is hard for me to imagine the endeavors of Relational Psychoanalysis and the Buddhist-Psychoanalytic dialogues going forward without Jeremy. What a tragic end to an extraordinary life.
- Polly Young-Eisendrath, Ph.D.
I was shocked to learn of the sudden death of Jeremy Safran, my good friend and colleague. His "Psychoanalysis & Buddhism: An Unfolding Dialogue," became the prototype for what is now almost two decades of interdisciplinary engagement and mutual influence. The chapter he asked me to contribute to that volume became the basis for my first book, "Ordinary Mind," and our own personal dialogue continued to unfold over the years. That he should be murdered in his own home is something no one could have imagined and is a tragic reminder of what may befall any of us at any moment. He was a sweet man. I and many many others will miss him.
- Barry Magid
REMEMBERING JEREMY SAFRAN: I made this video when 1 year ago Jeremy presented in Bologna the talk "Impasse, enactment and the therapist's state of mind as an instrument of change". He was ever fair and honest: during the seminar he submitted to public's attention a video in which he conducted a session with a borderline patient so that everyone could judge his way of treating the patient, even his mismatch! A great lesson of scientific and professional honesty for all of us! Jeremy had an interest, anyhow very discrete, for Buddhism and spiritual domain, in relation with healing. During a seminar in Milan 10 year ago he conducted a seminar about this topic: very passionate he was towards any issue could help patients and healing professionals to manage therapies! Frenis Zero publishing house intends to dedicate to him a forthcoming book. RIP, Jeremy.
“Impasse, Enactment, and the Therapist’s state of mind as an instrument of change” by Jeremy Safran
- Giuseppe Leo
Whether we knew it or not, Jeremy was our lighthouse. A steward ushering and introducing us into the psychoanalytic world. He stood guard ensuring as new clinicians we could find our way forward, and as we entered our careers swimming into deeper waters he remained visible, a calming force reminding us he was there - a beacon we could orient around. His sudden passing reminds me of the necessity of his presence and place - an advocate for each of our individual processes no matter where the tide took us. And today we are without our outside light, disoriented by senselessness, clouded in darkness. I hope with time we can find our way forward both privately and collectively. And rediscover our place and his presence.
Like all of you I am deeply shocked and saddened. And grateful.
Thank you, Jeremy.
- Peter Glick, Ph.D.
Jeremy was my first professional mentor - my teacher, my supervisor, my advisor. He helped to shape me both personally and professionally, and his influence on my clinical thinking and work will continue indefinitely. I am the type of psychologist I am because of Jeremy's mentoring and leadership. I know that I am not alone in these sentiments. His thinking lives on in each of his students, their practice, their research. I know in this way his spirit will remain among us and continue to impact our field and our clients.
Jeremy was undeniably brilliant. Reading his work, and learning from him, was always such a joyful and inspirational experience. He made it easy to understand complex concepts, sparked curiosity, and shared important theoretical ideas with far-reaching impact. He never shied away from debate or challenge, and encouraged diverse viewpoints. Jeremy pushed me to be better in both my clinical and research endeavors and balanced mentorship with helping me find my own voice and independence. Most importantly, Jeremy instilled in his students the importance of advocacy as a part of our profession - of speaking out even when it is controversial to do so. He taught me that psychodynamic practice is about much more than what happens in the therapy room, and that is a lesson I will remember forever.
Beyond his professional wisdom, Jeremy was kind and compassionate and had a great sense of humor. He was always thoughtful in his guidance and was there anytime you needed him. I will miss Jeremy so much. He is a giant in our field and his contributions are so global but also so personal to us as individuals who had the privilege to know and work with him. He impacted so many lives through his teaching and supervision, and is a profound influence on the way so many psychologists practice and think. His loss is devastating and incomprehensible. But his light remains, and continues to shine so brightly on all of us. Despite this, he will be deeply missed.
With love and prayers,
- Jennifer M. Doran, Ph.D.
Jeremy was a rare mixture of genuine power and gentleness. He was a powerful force in the Psychology community and fought for justice through his actions and his intelligent and heartfelt words. Through his writing and sharing of other's writings, Jeremy also helped me and so many others during this hard political climate. The hole left by Jeremy's death is immense - he will be missed by so many who had the privilege of knowing him and many more who knew him through his contributions to science and the field of Psychology.
- Teresa Hurst, New School alum
It is with intense sadness that I share that last night we lost Jeremy Safran, a very special colleague and friend of mine and countless others around the globe. He was murdered in his home by an intruder. Jeremy's global community of family, friends, colleagues students and patients are horrified, in utter disbelief, profoundly shaken and grief stricken. Jeremy was brilliant and courageous as a psychologist psychoanalyst always stretching himself further, beyond what was comfortable, incorporating new ideas into his thinking, challenging himself to grow, on the move and taking others with him through his clinical work, research, writing, teaching, mentorship, generosity with colleagues and boundless, enthusiastic willingness to take leadership of many important organizations.
His original and groundbreaking contributions to understanding the importance of therapeutic alliance ruptures and repair, integrative relational psychoanalysis and the intersection of Buddhism and psychoanalysis were profoundly important to my work, Integrative Harm Reduction Psychotherapy, and the entire fields of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy.
Jeremy was a warm, empathic, supportive, non-judgmental, witty, intellectually challenging, always amazing friend. My heart is broken that I will never see Jeremy again. The world is crying today. Yet we must be grateful to Jeremy for leaving so many delightful memories for us to keep. He lives in the many lives and work he inspired.
Jeremy D. Safran, Ph.D., was Chair & Professor of the Psychology Department at the New School for Social Research and former Director of Clinical Psychology. He was also on faculty at both The New York University Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis; the Stephen A. Mitchell Center for Relational Studies; and Past-President of the International Association for Relational Psychoanalysis & Psychotherapy. He published extensively in professional journals and is the author (or co-author) of several books including 1) Emotion in Psychotherapy; 2) Interpersonal Process in Cognitive Therapy; 3) Negotiating the Therapeutic Alliance: A Relational Treatment Guide; 4) Psychoanalysis and Buddhism: An Unfolding Dialogue; and 5) Psychoanalysis & Psychoanalytic Therapies. Dr. Safran was internationally recognized as a clinician, teacher of psychotherapy and psychoanalysis, and psychotherapy researcher.
- Andrew Tatarsky, Ph.D.
Reflections on Jeremy
Jeremy was many things to many people—psychoanalyst, influential researcher and scholar, professor, supervisor and colleague. As his colleague, I witnessed the tenacity with which he guarded the legacy of the clinical program, insisting that students learn to think for themselves, to challenge convention, to be thoughtful and creative, critical and curious. Jeremy was unafraid of conflict and fought many battles, private and public, to do what he thought was best for the program. I came to the New School in 2004 and assume that he had a lot to do with my being hired. Nevermind the fact that he and I were so different in so many ways. In simple terms: he was a White, Jewish man with deep psychoanalytic commitments. I am a Chinese-American daughter of immigrants, a CBT therapist, and whose research and teaching focus on race, ethnicity, oppression, and healing. It was always a little awkward when we were together, as we tried to ignore the ways that our lived experiences separated us and our understandings of the world.
And yet, what was so remarkable about Jeremy was his willingness to acknowledge what he did not yet understand and to be willing to be uncomfortable and humble in that not-knowing. This is an exceedingly rare quality to be found in academia, and what I consider to be his most lasting legacy. Jeremy embodied intellectual curiosity and openness. He engaged deeply with ideas that challenged his own. I was surprised and touched that he bought and read a book on White privilege after spotting it on my bookshelf. He came to one of my trainings on racial microaggressions. He supported my research unconditionally and wrote letters in support of my grants. He demonstrated an openness to exploring what it meant to be an ethnic minority patient in treatment with a clinician who enjoyed more power and privilege because of the color of his skin. Over the past year, we had been having conversations about new projects that we wanted to start together, to assess how students think about multicultural issues in therapy. Sometimes he put his foot in his mouth. This is the risk we take when we delve into areas that are new and foreign to us, but it was important that he tried. Deep down I knew that his intentions were good. I will miss him dearly.
- Doris Chang, Ph.D., Director of Clinical Training and Associate Professor at The New School for Social Research
OTHER TRIBUTES
Remembering Buddhist Psychoanalyst Jeremy Safran
Psychology Today: Jeremy D. Safran Ph.D.
Outside the New School, Jeremy’s intellectual curiosity and broadminded approach to all things psychological held him in good stead. He was an expert in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy before he jointed forces with Les Greenberg to provide the theoretical foundations for Emotion-Focused Therapy. He was also a preeminent psychotherapy researcher, studying the processes underlying rupture and repair in therapeutic alliances. He wrote or edited eight books and a large number of articles and chapters. He also developed for the APA a series of training DVDs. In recognition of his brilliant contributions, the Society for Psychotherapy Research awarded him their Distinguished Research Career Award and Division 39 of the APA honored him with the Award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychotherapy Research. He also served as President of the International Association for Relational Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy. Jeremy’s contributions did not end with his envelope-pushing research on psychotherapy or his knack for decisive institution building. He also wrote insightfully about Buddhism and psychoanalysis and on critical approaches to Psychology. In addition to his faculty position at the New School, he was also on the faculty of New York University Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis.
We want to extend our condolences to Jeremy's wife, Jenny, and his two children, Ayla and Ellie. We will miss him.
- Howard Steele, Ph.D. and Bill Hirst, Ph.D.
Mourning the loss of a colleague, a friend and a gentle-man.
This is a very sad day at The New School for Social Research and at Public Seminar. Jeremy Safran, a distinguished professor in our Psychology Department and a senior editor of Public Seminar, a dear colleague and friend to many of us, was murdered yesterday in his Brooklyn home. We are in shock, as we are trying to respond.
This morning, a community gathering was called by our dean, Will Milberg. Colleagues, administrators, and most movingly, Jeremy’s students visibly stricken with grief, tried to console each other.
An announcement was made by the co-chairs of the Psychology Department, Bill Hirst and Howard Steele (who also happens to be Jeremy’s first cousin):
“As most of you know, Jeremy Safran was brutally murdered yesterday. Jeremy’s contributions to the Department and to the field of Psychotherapy Research cannot be underestimated. He joined the New School faculty in 1993, shortly after the APA had placed the Clinical Psychology Program on probation. He quickly found himself Director of Clinical Studies and later Chair of the Department, and with characteristic energy and determination, worked not only to move the Clinical Psychology Program to full accreditation, but to make it the vibrant, respected program it is today. During this time period, he established a training facility at Beth Israel Medical Center, the low-cost New School Psychotherapy Research Program, and the Sándor Ferenczi Center. He was a brilliant mentor to many students and an inspired instructor.
Outside the New School, Jeremy’s intellectual curiosity and broadminded approach to all things psychological held him in good stead. He was an expert in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy before he joined forces with Les Greenberg to provide the theoretical foundations for Emotion-Focused Therapy. He was also a preeminent psychotherapy researcher, studying the processes underlying rupture and repair in therapeutic alliances. He wrote or edited eight books and a large number of articles and chapters. He also developed for the APA a series of training DVDs. In recognition of his brilliant contributions, the Society for Psychotherapy Research awarded him their Distinguished Research Career Award and Division 39 of the APA honored him with the Award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychotherapy Research. He also served as President of the International Association for Relational Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy. Jeremy’s contributions did not end with his envelope-pushing research on psychotherapy or his knack for decisive institution building. He also wrote insightfully about Buddhism and psychoanalysis and on critical approaches to Psychology. In addition to his faculty position at the New School, he was also on the faculty of New York University Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis.
We want to extend our condolences to Jeremy’s wife, Jenny, and his two children, Ayla and Ellie. We will miss him.”
Jeremy appeared on Public Seminar as a public intellectual. He was an active member of our team from the very beginning. He took part in and informed our deliberations, as we launched and developed our venture in innovative publishing. He realized in his posts our goals: drawing upon his expertise, he addressed the non-expert public (including me) about “enduring problems of the human condition, responding to the pressing issues of the day.” He wrote many pieces and solicited even more from colleagues from around the world, and students close to home. He wrote one of our most popular posts, on the rise, fall and possible resurrection of psychoanalysis in the United States, “Who’s Afraid of Sigmund Freud?” I love the piece because it has been very popular and is also excellent. He critically reported on psychology’s involvement in America’s torture regime: “Psychology and Torture.” A few weeks ago he wrote “Authenticity American Style,” on “the meaning of authenticity in the era of “reality show” politics.” He combined sober professional judgment, with intellectual playfulness.
On a personal note: I knew Jeremy as a kind person, a gentle-man, also a bit forgetful, as am I. Although we were not intimate friends, we were close colleagues. I admired him for his commitments: mental health, personal wellbeing and the public good were not simply words for him. We worked together with mutual respect. I enjoyed him as a person. Last Thursday, we had our last monthly Senior Editors’ meeting for this academic year. He was late. I told my colleagues I thought this meant he wouldn’t be coming. When he arrived, I pointed this out to him. Since Public Seminar and The New School’s Publishing Initiative have moved up to their new digs, before each meeting, I received a note from Jeremy asking me to remind him where the meeting would be held. Last week, he came without asking.
An additional note from Ali Shames–Dawson, an important editor on our team: “I am inclined just to add how much he brought dedicated students to Public Seminar — I am here because he insisted that we must speak immediately one day, my first ever Jeremy at-home phone call, and he excitedly told me of the opportunity to be an editorial fellow, back in 2015. Since then, he has solicited and supported a wealth of student writing and PS involvement, as was his way. His deep dedication to spreading his commitments, particularly to critical intellectual engagement beyond the boundaries of disciplinary psychology and in socially engaged scholarship, and involving students in meaningful projects is something I know everyone who reads this who knew him will appreciate and resonate with.”
- Jeffrey C. Goldfarb, the Michael E. Gellert Professor of Sociology at The New School for Social Research, is the Publisher and founder of Public Seminar.
Jeremy Safran was a beloved teacher (New School, NYU Postdoc, Stephen Mitchell Center for Relational Studies among others), Relational psychoanalytic practitioner, thinker and prolific writer, integrative psychotherapist, and sought after clinical supervisor and lecturer throughout the United States and internationally. He was instrumental in the founding and running of the Sandor Ferenczi Center at the New School (with Lew Aron and Adrienne Harris) and as we’ve known through the years and I’m now hearing again from a number of his former students, he was a very generous and nurturing dissertation committee member and chair and mentor to numerous graduate and postgraduate students. Perhaps most notable as I mentioned in my earlier post and as so many of you are fortunate to know, Jeremy was also a warm and loving man, deeply caring and committed to his work, personal and professional relationships.
Jeremy was a rare combination of practitioner, teacher/supervisor, academic scholar, program administrator, and researcher. Many people are good at one or more of these endeavors—Jeremy excelled at each. Please see below from Beatrice Beebe, who spoke these words when she presented Jeremy with last year’s Division 39 Research Award. I thank her for sending them to us today:
Jeremy Safran has been an inspiring leader in research on the psychotherapy process for a quarter of a century. Over the last 25 years, Jeremy Safran and his research team have been conducting empirical studies of therapeutic impasses, and disturbances in therapeutic alliance, which are inevitable in clinical work. His focus on modes of resolving impasses is essential to our understanding of therapeutic action. His use of the concept of disruption and repair has an important link to infant research on this topic. Moreover, he is helping us better understand the qualities that enable therapists to work through impasses, particularly capacities for mentalization. Jeremy Safran’s unwavering dedication to this topic over several decades has generated an important and powerful body of work. We are grateful for his outstanding contribution.
Warm regards and deepest sympathies to his family, colleagues, patients and friends,
- Steven Kuchuck, IARPP President
The last time I saw Jeremy was at the PDM-2 Conference that was held at the New School in June 2017. There was something comforting and reassuring about seeing him there. I fully expected to see him at the conference given how dedicated he was to being an educator, clinician and researcher.
Jeremy’s passion for psychotherapy was evident in the work he did through the Brief Psychotherapy Research Project, the articles wrote and through the seminars he taught. I feel fortunate to have been able to work with him and was inspired by his ardent commitment to the therapeutic process, the analysis of therapeutic impasses and their resolution. The experience was pivotal in my development as a clinician.
As bright, knowledgeable and published as Jeremy was, he never made you feel less than. He seemed genuinely interested in your experiences and opinions, whether they be on a given clinical topic that was being discussed or a school of thought or processing an interaction with a client. Regardless of the context, Jeremy made you feel welcomed and valued. He made you feel that you had something of consequence to offer.
As an alum, whenever I received an email from Jeremy about an article that he wanted to share or concerns about the impact of a given political or social issue, I came to appreciate how much Jeremy embodied the spirit of the New School. Like the New School, Jeremy was committed to social justice, intellectual freedom, activism and progressive thought. As heartbreaking as it is to no longer have Jeremy with us physically, it gives me some comfort to know that these values will live on in the hearts of those who have had the good fortune of knowing Jeremy.
- Roueida Ghadban, Alum
I am writing on behalf of the American Psychological Association (APA) to express my sincere condolences upon the recent death of psychology professor, Dr. Jeremy Safran. The loss of this faculty member under such tragic circumstances is shocking and heartbreaking. Dr. Safran’s legacy as a groundbreaking psychotherapy researcher will not be forgotten. The outpouring of sympathy among the APA community has illustrated just how deeply Dr. Safran was admired and respected by his colleagues.
My deepest sympathy goes out to Dr. Safran’s family, his colleagues, and the larger New School community during this most difficult time.
- Arthur C. Evans, Jr., PhD. Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice President
Jeremy was a prolific writer, and thinker who paved the way for many of us who had benefited so much from reading his material. It is with much regret that we received the horrific news which stripped us of such a cherished individual. Although we were never acquainted personally, I would like to represent the Psychoanalytic Association of Singapore to wish his family peace, deep condolences for their loss, and that his memory be a lasting consolation during this time of mourning. Warm regards from Singapore.
- Dr. Shawn Ee, Acting President, Psychoanalytic Association of Singapore (PAS)
The terrible news reached me when my seminar met last Wednesday. I had not heard it until they told me and then the students and I were shocked and unbelieving. Behind that, their love for you was apparent and they were able to express it amidst their tears. My own reaction was more selfish - you and I have had many brief, that is broken-off discussions, aborted because one or both of us had to hurry off to class. Now there will never be the time we owed each other to continue our conversation until the essential agreement I am sure was there would have a chance to show and become elaborated. I deeply regret the loss of a man of substance and scholarship.
- Herb Schlesinger
I first met Jeremy in 1993 right after he started at the New School, but I last saw him about a year and a half ago at a school event. He didn’t recognize me at first—it had been quite a few years—but when I re-introduced myself his face lit up and he pulled me in for a big hug. At the time the gesture caught me off guard, but it also immediately reminded me of so much about Jeremy that had faded in my memory: His warmth, his kindness, his instinctive sense of connection with his students, and his almost boyish exuberance for our profession, and more fundamentally, for sharing it with other people. Like so many of us I think I will miss Jeremy not only as a teacher and mentor, but for who he was as a person. My heart goes out to his students, his colleagues, and most of all to his family. He will be fondly remembered and greatly missed.
- Sean Condon, Ph.D.
Today casts a long dark shadow of the shocking loss of our dear colleague — and my personal friend — Jeremy Safran. It’s especially hard to put into words what this loss means because it is so fresh, and because Jeremy was so important in many aspects of our lives as a psychoanalyst, an author, a researcher, a Buddhist practitioner, a teacher, and a human being. I will miss him keenly.
And I am writing here, not only for myself, but for the community of mental health professionals that Jeremy has influenced in Vermont through his presentations and his research, especially the Vermont Association for Psychoanalytic Studies, the Gibbard Lecture Series at the University of Vermont, and the Vermont Institute for the Psychotherapies where his presentations, writings, and personal relationships have made an enduring impact. Jeremy was an original thinker and a unique leader among Relational Psychoanalysts, not simply because he was a Buddhist and a psychoanalyst, but also because he had “come over” to our side after having been a very successful practitioner, researcher, and author in Cognitive Psychology.
Jeremy’s contributions resonated with the breadth of his experience and also expressed his sense of humor and his deep interest in simply living. When he took over Hans Strupps’s seminal research on the curative factors and the role of conflict in psychoanalytic therapy, I was so happy because I knew that Jeremy would carry on in the venerable tradition of Strupp. Indeed, that was true and Jeremy’s work even exceeded my high expectations for it. It’s almost impossible to believe he is now gone and that his work will be carried forth by someone else.
I don’t recall exactly how or when I met Jeremy, but I believe it was in the late 1990s. He and I began to collaborate and to share our experiences very quickly, and I found him to be a person of great integrity and a scholar of great accomplishment. Soon we were collaborating on putting together the first program of Enlightening Conversations at New York University in 2007. Over 550 people attended and, in large part, the success of that conference related to Jeremy working closely with those of us who met as a Planning Board at Tricycle Foundation. After that beginning, Jeremy also came up to Vermont where he was a keynote speaker for the Vermont Association for Psychoanalytic Studies and the presenter for the prestigious Annual Gibbard Lecture at the University of Vermont Department of Psychiatry. In all of these capacities, Jeremy was engaged, lively, intelligent, generous, funny, and warm. He was able to draw on his own vulnerabilities and humanity, as much as his research and knowledge.
In all the ways I have known Jeremy, and I believe this is true for all of us who have been influenced by his contributions in Vermont, he has been an extraordinary teacher. He stuck with the things he started and he dug deep into whatever the project meant. It is hard for me to imagine the endeavors of Relational Psychoanalysis and the Buddhist-Psychoanalytic dialogues going forward without Jeremy. What a tragic end to an extraordinary life.
- Polly Young-Eisendrath, Ph.D.
I was shocked to learn of the sudden death of Jeremy Safran, my good friend and colleague. His "Psychoanalysis & Buddhism: An Unfolding Dialogue," became the prototype for what is now almost two decades of interdisciplinary engagement and mutual influence. The chapter he asked me to contribute to that volume became the basis for my first book, "Ordinary Mind," and our own personal dialogue continued to unfold over the years. That he should be murdered in his own home is something no one could have imagined and is a tragic reminder of what may befall any of us at any moment. He was a sweet man. I and many many others will miss him.
- Barry Magid
REMEMBERING JEREMY SAFRAN: I made this video when 1 year ago Jeremy presented in Bologna the talk "Impasse, enactment and the therapist's state of mind as an instrument of change". He was ever fair and honest: during the seminar he submitted to public's attention a video in which he conducted a session with a borderline patient so that everyone could judge his way of treating the patient, even his mismatch! A great lesson of scientific and professional honesty for all of us! Jeremy had an interest, anyhow very discrete, for Buddhism and spiritual domain, in relation with healing. During a seminar in Milan 10 year ago he conducted a seminar about this topic: very passionate he was towards any issue could help patients and healing professionals to manage therapies! Frenis Zero publishing house intends to dedicate to him a forthcoming book. RIP, Jeremy.
“Impasse, Enactment, and the Therapist’s state of mind as an instrument of change” by Jeremy Safran
- Giuseppe Leo
Whether we knew it or not, Jeremy was our lighthouse. A steward ushering and introducing us into the psychoanalytic world. He stood guard ensuring as new clinicians we could find our way forward, and as we entered our careers swimming into deeper waters he remained visible, a calming force reminding us he was there - a beacon we could orient around. His sudden passing reminds me of the necessity of his presence and place - an advocate for each of our individual processes no matter where the tide took us. And today we are without our outside light, disoriented by senselessness, clouded in darkness. I hope with time we can find our way forward both privately and collectively. And rediscover our place and his presence.
Like all of you I am deeply shocked and saddened. And grateful.
Thank you, Jeremy.
- Peter Glick, Ph.D.
Jeremy was my first professional mentor - my teacher, my supervisor, my advisor. He helped to shape me both personally and professionally, and his influence on my clinical thinking and work will continue indefinitely. I am the type of psychologist I am because of Jeremy's mentoring and leadership. I know that I am not alone in these sentiments. His thinking lives on in each of his students, their practice, their research. I know in this way his spirit will remain among us and continue to impact our field and our clients.
Jeremy was undeniably brilliant. Reading his work, and learning from him, was always such a joyful and inspirational experience. He made it easy to understand complex concepts, sparked curiosity, and shared important theoretical ideas with far-reaching impact. He never shied away from debate or challenge, and encouraged diverse viewpoints. Jeremy pushed me to be better in both my clinical and research endeavors and balanced mentorship with helping me find my own voice and independence. Most importantly, Jeremy instilled in his students the importance of advocacy as a part of our profession - of speaking out even when it is controversial to do so. He taught me that psychodynamic practice is about much more than what happens in the therapy room, and that is a lesson I will remember forever.
Beyond his professional wisdom, Jeremy was kind and compassionate and had a great sense of humor. He was always thoughtful in his guidance and was there anytime you needed him. I will miss Jeremy so much. He is a giant in our field and his contributions are so global but also so personal to us as individuals who had the privilege to know and work with him. He impacted so many lives through his teaching and supervision, and is a profound influence on the way so many psychologists practice and think. His loss is devastating and incomprehensible. But his light remains, and continues to shine so brightly on all of us. Despite this, he will be deeply missed.
With love and prayers,
- Jennifer M. Doran, Ph.D.
Jeremy was a rare mixture of genuine power and gentleness. He was a powerful force in the Psychology community and fought for justice through his actions and his intelligent and heartfelt words. Through his writing and sharing of other's writings, Jeremy also helped me and so many others during this hard political climate. The hole left by Jeremy's death is immense - he will be missed by so many who had the privilege of knowing him and many more who knew him through his contributions to science and the field of Psychology.
- Teresa Hurst, New School alum
It is with intense sadness that I share that last night we lost Jeremy Safran, a very special colleague and friend of mine and countless others around the globe. He was murdered in his home by an intruder. Jeremy's global community of family, friends, colleagues students and patients are horrified, in utter disbelief, profoundly shaken and grief stricken. Jeremy was brilliant and courageous as a psychologist psychoanalyst always stretching himself further, beyond what was comfortable, incorporating new ideas into his thinking, challenging himself to grow, on the move and taking others with him through his clinical work, research, writing, teaching, mentorship, generosity with colleagues and boundless, enthusiastic willingness to take leadership of many important organizations.
His original and groundbreaking contributions to understanding the importance of therapeutic alliance ruptures and repair, integrative relational psychoanalysis and the intersection of Buddhism and psychoanalysis were profoundly important to my work, Integrative Harm Reduction Psychotherapy, and the entire fields of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy.
Jeremy was a warm, empathic, supportive, non-judgmental, witty, intellectually challenging, always amazing friend. My heart is broken that I will never see Jeremy again. The world is crying today. Yet we must be grateful to Jeremy for leaving so many delightful memories for us to keep. He lives in the many lives and work he inspired.
Jeremy D. Safran, Ph.D., was Chair & Professor of the Psychology Department at the New School for Social Research and former Director of Clinical Psychology. He was also on faculty at both The New York University Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis; the Stephen A. Mitchell Center for Relational Studies; and Past-President of the International Association for Relational Psychoanalysis & Psychotherapy. He published extensively in professional journals and is the author (or co-author) of several books including 1) Emotion in Psychotherapy; 2) Interpersonal Process in Cognitive Therapy; 3) Negotiating the Therapeutic Alliance: A Relational Treatment Guide; 4) Psychoanalysis and Buddhism: An Unfolding Dialogue; and 5) Psychoanalysis & Psychoanalytic Therapies. Dr. Safran was internationally recognized as a clinician, teacher of psychotherapy and psychoanalysis, and psychotherapy researcher.
- Andrew Tatarsky, Ph.D.
Reflections on Jeremy
Jeremy was many things to many people—psychoanalyst, influential researcher and scholar, professor, supervisor and colleague. As his colleague, I witnessed the tenacity with which he guarded the legacy of the clinical program, insisting that students learn to think for themselves, to challenge convention, to be thoughtful and creative, critical and curious. Jeremy was unafraid of conflict and fought many battles, private and public, to do what he thought was best for the program. I came to the New School in 2004 and assume that he had a lot to do with my being hired. Nevermind the fact that he and I were so different in so many ways. In simple terms: he was a White, Jewish man with deep psychoanalytic commitments. I am a Chinese-American daughter of immigrants, a CBT therapist, and whose research and teaching focus on race, ethnicity, oppression, and healing. It was always a little awkward when we were together, as we tried to ignore the ways that our lived experiences separated us and our understandings of the world.
And yet, what was so remarkable about Jeremy was his willingness to acknowledge what he did not yet understand and to be willing to be uncomfortable and humble in that not-knowing. This is an exceedingly rare quality to be found in academia, and what I consider to be his most lasting legacy. Jeremy embodied intellectual curiosity and openness. He engaged deeply with ideas that challenged his own. I was surprised and touched that he bought and read a book on White privilege after spotting it on my bookshelf. He came to one of my trainings on racial microaggressions. He supported my research unconditionally and wrote letters in support of my grants. He demonstrated an openness to exploring what it meant to be an ethnic minority patient in treatment with a clinician who enjoyed more power and privilege because of the color of his skin. Over the past year, we had been having conversations about new projects that we wanted to start together, to assess how students think about multicultural issues in therapy. Sometimes he put his foot in his mouth. This is the risk we take when we delve into areas that are new and foreign to us, but it was important that he tried. Deep down I knew that his intentions were good. I will miss him dearly.
- Doris Chang, Ph.D., Director of Clinical Training and Associate Professor at The New School for Social Research
OTHER TRIBUTES
Remembering Buddhist Psychoanalyst Jeremy Safran
Psychology Today: Jeremy D. Safran Ph.D.
If you would like to send tributes contact both:
Joshua (finkj400@newschool.edu) and Jennifer (halpj403@newschool.edu). Thank you.
Joshua (finkj400@newschool.edu) and Jennifer (halpj403@newschool.edu). Thank you.