Jeremy D. Safran
Jeremy D. Safran (April 23, 1952 – May 7, 2018) was a Canadian-born American clinical psychologist, psychoanalyst, and psychotherapy researcher. He taught at The New School for Social Research, where he served for many years as director of clinical training. He also taught at New York University’s postdoctoral program in psychoanalysis and helped start the Sandor Ferenczi Center at the New School. He was the past-president of the International Association for Relational Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy.
Safran earned his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of British Columbia in 1982 and trained as a psychoanalyst at New York University. He led the Cognitive Therapy Unit at the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry in Toronto (1986–1990) and then was Associate Professor at the Derner Institute for Advanced Psychological Studies at Adelphi University (1990–1993). In 1993 he became Professor of Psychology and Director of Clinical Training at The New School for Social Research, a position he held until his death. He helped bring The New School’s Clinical Psychology Program to full accreditation and fostered collaborations with Beth Israel Medical Center, the Sandor Ferenczi Center, the Center for Alliance-Focused Training, and the New School Psychotherapy Research Program. He also taught in NYU’s psychoanalytic program.
Safran, with J. Christopher Muran and others, developed Brief Relational Therapy (BRT). BRT is a short-term psychotherapy that blends mindfulness with relational and emotional processing to help people recognize and change self-defeating patterns in relationships. The approach is supported by empirical research. He contributed to the development of emotion-focused therapy with Les Greenberg and was a key figure in relational psychoanalysis, emphasizing how relationships shape psychological change, including the therapeutic alliance, ruptures, and repair.
Among his books are Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytic Therapies (2012), Psychoanalysis & Buddhism: An Unfolding Dialogue (2003), Negotiating the Therapeutic Alliance: A Relational Treatment Guide (2000), Widening the Scope of Cognitive Therapy (1998), Interpersonal Process in Cognitive Therapy (1990), and Emotion in Psychotherapy (1987).
Safran was born in Calgary to Jewish parents and grew up culturally Jewish. He also practiced Buddhism. He died in his Brooklyn, New York, home on May 7, 2018, in what investigators believe was a botched burglary; a suspect, Mirzo Atadzhanov, was convicted of murder.
His legacy includes a yearly memorial lecture series at The New School for Social Research, established in his honor, with the first invited lecturer being Nancy McWilliams. The Safran Reading Room and Library was created from his book collection and opened in December 2018. The New School Psychotherapy Program was renamed The Safran Center for Psychological Services, a low-cost clinic in New York City that trains students in psychodynamic psychotherapy and supports research. The center also names Clinical Associates each year to serve as consultants and supervisors for students.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 04:27 (CET).