BS from University of Connecticut Honors Program (University Scholar)

Candidate at the Western New England Institute of Psychoanalysis

Consultant Candidate at the A. K. Rice Institute for the Study of Social Systems

Heather Forouhar Graff, MD, is a staff psychiatrist, therapist and assistant team leader at the Austen Riggs Center. She consults to process groups that are aimed at studying relationships to authority.

Dr. Forouhar began her education as a painter at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a special interest in perceptual phenomena such as pattern recognition and the interaction and relativity of color. As an undergraduate, she was a research fellow at The University of Chicago studying the neural correlates of learning and memory in songbirds as a model for language development.

She has presented on the nocebo effect in treatment resistance, the value of process groups in the experiential learning of group dynamics in psychiatric residents and on the narcissistic vulnerabilities of trainees and the associated obstacles to learning within the supervisory relationship.

Professional Affiliations/Organizational Memberships

Center for the Study of Groups and Social Systems

Western New England Institute for Psychoanalysis

Board Certified in Psychiatry and Neurology

Howard Hughes Medical Institute Fellowship in Biological Sciences at The University of Chicago

Howard Hughes Medical Institute Fellowship in Computational Neuroscience at The University of Chicago

Frieda Fromm-Reichmann Award from the American Academy of Psychodynamic Psychiatry and Psychoanalysis

Boelhouwer Award for excellence in research, teaching and leadership from the Institute of Living

Psychoanalysis and the psychodynamics of groups and leadership

Therapy Staff

Heather Forouhar Graff, MD

Assistant Team Leader/Staff Psychiatrist

Assistant team leader and staff psychiatrist Heather Forouhar Graff, MD, talks about the Adult Psychoanalytic Training Program and Fellowship for psychiatrists at the Austen Riggs Center. Forouhar was completing her post-residency Fellowship at the time of this interview. 

Riggs Fellowship: Long-Term Benefits for Psychiatrists

Riggs Fellowship: A Systems Approach in a Therapeutic Community

Riggs Fellowship: Learning a Unique Approach to Prescribing for Psychiatrists

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Heather Forouhar Graff, MD, is an assistant team leader and staff psychiatrist at the Austen Riggs Center.

Clinical Perspectives

Heather Forouhar Graff, MD, talks about long-term benefits for psychiatrists, a systems approach, and learning a unique approach to prescribing.

Fellowship Experience - Heather Forouhar Graff, MD

Riggs Fellowship: Long-Term Benefits for Psychiatrists

Riggs Fellowship: A Systems Approach in a Therapeutic Community

Riggs Fellowship: Learning a Unique Approach to Prescribing for Psychiatrists

Ask a Former Fellow

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