Harriet Lerner

Harriet Lerner was born in Brooklyn, New York, on November 30, 1944. She is the second of two daughters of Rose and Archie Goldhor. Her parents were first-generation Americans, both born to Russian-Jewish immigrant parents. They were high school graduates who held jobs they did for paychecks but avocations that brought them great joy. Unlike other parents of the day who considered therapy to be a last resort of the mentally ill, my mother thought it was a learning experience. She put me in therapy before I was three, after obtaining a health insurance policy that provided weekly therapy sessions for one dollar. I later joked that my mother would send me to a therapist if I came home from school with anything less than a B plus. I was exaggerating, but only a little bit. "

Her mother's belief in therapy undoubtedly contributed to Lerner's career choice. She decided to become a clinical psychologist before finishing kindergarten - a decision she never veered from. Lerner is best known for her work on the psychology of women and family relationships. Feminism and family systems theory continue to inform her writing. She has dedicated her writing life to translating complex theory into accessible and useful prose, and has become one of our nation most trusted and respected relationship.