Barry L. Stern, PhD

Barry L. Stern, Ph.D. is Assistant Clinical Professor of Medical Psychology (in Psychiatry) at the College of Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. Stern is a broadly trained clinical psychologist with interests that lie at the intersection of personality and mental health. Informed by contemporary psychoanalytic theory, he is interested in how patients' characteristic ways of thinking and feeling about themselves relates to their difficulties with self-esteem, depression, anxiety, and interpersonal and intimate relationships.

Dr. Stern's primary research activity focuses on the development of the Structured Interview of Personality Organization, a personality assessment interview grounded in American object relations theory. His work is supported by grants from the International Psychoanalytic Association and conducted through the Columbia University Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research, where he is an advanced candidate.

Dr. Stern has specialized training and extensive experience in the psychodynamic treatment of borderline and other personality disorders. He also works with couples and has developed the Pre-Marital Consultation Service, a brief intervention for couples engaged to be married. He is a supervisor in the Columbia University medical residency program.