Herbert Fensterheim

Herbert Fensterheim (July 22, 1921—September 18, 2011) was an American professor of clinical psychology and author. He was an associate professor of psychology at Cornell University Medical College, New York, and head of Behavior Treatment and Study, Payne Whitney Clinic, New York. He is known for his 1975 book that he co-authored with his wife, writer Jean Baer, Don't Say Yes When You Want to Say No.

Early life, education, and career

Fensterheim was born on July 22, 1921, in New York City, New York. He received his M.A. in psychology from Columbia University, New York, and his Ph.D. from New York University's Graduate School of Arts and Science in 1958 on the dissertation An experimental study of the relationship between overt behavior and perceptual behavior in schizophrenia.

Fensterheim spent nearly twenty years as an analytically oriented therapist before becoming one of the first clinicians involved with behavior therapy. He was a clinical associate professor of psychology in Psychiatry at Cornell University Medical College, New York, and head of Behavior Treatment and Study at Payne Whitney Clinic, The New York Hospital. In parallel, he also ran a private practice in Manhattan.

He had taught psychology at undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral levels at leading universities and medical colleges in the USA. In addition, he had written almost 100 professional papers, coedited two professional books on behavior therapy, and is the author of Help Without Psychoanalysis (1971). He also gave many talks and held workshops for the professional community at meetings of such groups as the American Psychological Association and the American Group Psychotherapy Association, enabling other therapists to learn the technique and teach it to their patients.

Writings

Fensterheim wrote several books, papers, and psychological guidebooks, many of which were translated into German and other languages. He also wrote several professional articles in psychological journals.

His 1958 Ph.D. dissertation was titled: An experimental study of the relationship between overt behavior and perceptual behavior in schizophrenia. In 1983, he and fellow New York clinical psychologist Howard I. Glazer edited Behavioral Psychotherapy: Basic Principles and Case Studies in an Integrative Clinical Model for the University of Michigan (Publisher: Brunner/Mazel).

Published Books

• Help without psychoanalysis (with Lawrence Goldtree Blochman, 1971)
• Don't Say Yes When You Want to Say No: How Assertiveness Training Can Change Your Life (with Jean L. Baer, 1975)
• Stop Running Scared! Fear Control Training: The New Way to Conquer Your Fears, Phobias, and Anxieties (Oct 1, 1977)
• Leben ohne Angst (1987, ISBN 978-3442113439)
• Making Life Right When It Feels All Wrong (with Jean L. Baer, Mar 9, 1989)
• How to Conquer Your Fears, Phobias and Anxieties: Stop Running Scared (November 10, 1995)

Personal life

Fensterheim married American writer and journalist Jean Baer (1923—1992) in 1968. They co-wrote several psychological guidebooks that were translated into German and other languages. The most famous of their works are Don't Say Yes When You Want to Say No: How Assertiveness Training Can Change Your Life (1975) and Making Life Right When It Feels All Wrong (1989). They also had their own private practice in New York City, New York.

Death

Fensterheim died on September 18, 2011, in New York City, New York, at the age of 90.