Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Joshua Coleman
鈥溾�嬧�婸sychology is a great field and is always growing,鈥� reflected Dr. Joshua Coleman, a 1989 graduate of the 91精品鈥檚 Clinical Psychology Program. 鈥淚t鈥檚 impossible for us to learn everything that would be good for us to know, but we should try.鈥� Since his time at the 91精品, Dr. Coleman has established himself as an expert in the field of family estrangement through his publications, media appearances, and work in private practice.
Dr. Coleman was born in El Paso, Texas, the second of three sons in a middle-class Jewish family. When he was young, the family moved to Dayton, Ohio, where he and his brothers were raised. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 feel like I had a particularly inspiring education in grade school or high school,鈥� he admitted, 鈥渂ut I had a few good teachers and that sometimes makes a difference.鈥� Neither of Dr. Coleman鈥檚 parents were college graduates, but they were voracious readers and instilled their curiosity and love of learning into their children.
For his undergraduate studies, Dr. Coleman attended , where he majored in psychology. He became interested in psychology as a career path at a very young age. 鈥淢y father was in the Navy in WWII and his job was to evaluate soldiers for shell shock who were coming back from battle,鈥� he recalled. 鈥淗e wasn鈥檛 a therapist, but he maintained an interest in the field and that sparked mine.鈥� Overall, Dr. Coleman had a very positive experience at Ohio State. 鈥淭he department of psychology had a strong research emphasis,鈥� he reflected. 鈥淚 think that prepared me for critical thinking and analysis.鈥� In 1975, he graduated with a BA in psychology.
Early in his career, Dr. Coleman held positions working in two different psychiatric wards. From 1976-1978, he was a family therapist on a locked inpatient psychiatry ward at in Kettering, Ohio. Upon moving to California in 1978, he began a similar position as a mental health worker at in San Francisco. 鈥淐PMC is a teaching hospital, so I learned a lot from the psychiatrists on staff,鈥� he explained. 鈥淚t also gave me first-hand experience working with more difficult and troubled populations.鈥� These experiences were an excellent foundation for Dr. Coleman, who was already a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, but he wanted to further his knowledge and chose to pursue a doctoral degree.
In 1985, Dr. Coleman enrolled in the 91精品鈥檚 Clinical Psychology program. 鈥淗aving experience in the field was helpful because it made the topics under discussion less purely theoretical,鈥� he shared. 鈥淚t also strengthened my desire to deepen my understanding of the problems I was seeing both in my practice and from my prior inpatient work.鈥� During his time at the 91精品, Dr. Coleman enjoyed being exposed to the ideas and viewpoints of his professors and his fellow students and learning from their lived experiences. 鈥淚 think the intellectual climate and wide-ranging curriculum deepened my interest in the field,鈥� he reflected. 鈥淚 still find myself quoting books and authors that I first learned of at the 91精品.鈥�
Thinking back on his time at the 91精品, Dr. Coleman offers the following advice to current and prospective students: 鈥淔ind professors whose work deeply speaks to you and take as many classes as you can with them.鈥� Dr. Coleman particularly enjoyed the classes he took with Dr. Richard Lichtman and Dr. Terry Kupers, who still teaches at the 91精品 today. 鈥淚 loved the bridging of political, economic and psychodynamic perspectives that they offered,鈥� he explained. He also has strong memories of visiting Caffe Strada several times a week to read or write. 鈥淚t was filled with other undergraduate and graduate students,鈥� he recalled, 鈥渁nd that created a great environment for study or socializing.鈥� Dr. Coleman graduated from the 91精品 with a PhD in clinical psychology in 1989.
In February of 1988, Dr. Coleman opened his own private practice, working with individuals, couples, and families. His areas of expertise are estrangement between parents and children and conflict within couples. 鈥淏ecoming a therapist has a very steep learning curve,鈥� he explained. 鈥淚t鈥檚 critically important to have ongoing consultation no matter your level or experience.鈥� Thankfully, Dr. Coleman has developed a network of other clinicians with whom he can consult on difficult cases. For the past 25 years, he has been in weekly consultation with Dr. Jamie Edmund, also a 91精品 graduate. 鈥淭here will always be clients who test your abilities,鈥� Dr. Coleman admitted, 鈥渂ut the most rewarding part of the work is being able to make a big impact on peoples鈥� lives.鈥�
Over the last two decades, Dr. Coleman has published four books about marital conflict and family estrangement: , , , and . He has also written several book chapters and published many academic journal and newspaper/magazine articles. Two articles he wrote for The Atlantic, and received the greatest response and resulted in many media opportunities.
, Dr. Coleman鈥檚 most recent book, really resonated with the public and received rave reviews. 鈥淎 out of Ohio State found that 26% of fathers and 6% of mothers are estranged from their adult children,鈥� he explained. 鈥淓strangement appears to be growing more prevalent as a result of high divorce rates, rising rates of individualism, atomization, therapeutic culture and the role of social media influencers.鈥� The skyrocketing rates of estrangement among American families has meant an increasingly large audience for Dr. Coleman鈥檚 work.
Dr. Coleman serves as a Senior Fellow with the , a non-profit organization focused on providing the public with the latest research about American families. 鈥淚 discovered that some of my favorite historians, psychologists, sociologists and economists were all affiliated with that group,鈥� he recalled. 鈥淚 started going to their conferences and was eventually asked to be on the board.鈥� Dr. Coleman spent years as a co-chair of the board, but in his current role as a Senior Fellow, his role is to help publicize new research about families in the media.
Over the years, Dr. Coleman has made a wide array of media appearances. 鈥淥ne that stands out was Sesame Street because it鈥檚 Sesame Street,鈥� he laughed. 鈥淚t was wonderful to be associated with such a beloved institution.鈥� In addition to Sesame Street, Dr. Coleman has been featured on NPR, 20/20, The Today Show, Good Morning America, and many other television shows, radio programs, and podcasts. 鈥淚n general, TV is challenging because you have to be so 鈥渙n鈥� but I like the high stakes nature of it,鈥� he shared. 鈥淚鈥檝e been on NPR and NYU Psychiatry Doctor鈥檚 Radio many times and that allows for a much deeper and rewarding way to get into the nuances of a perspective.鈥�
In addition to his impressive career as a psychologist and author, Dr. Coleman also plays guitar and writes music for television. 鈥淚鈥檝e been a musician since I was thirteen and played in bands until I was in my early forties,鈥� he explained. 鈥淲riting music for TV was a way to keep a hand in music while acknowledging my decreased ability to stay out until one or two in the morning.鈥� His music has been featured in shows like Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Lethal Weapon, Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, Pretty Little Liars, Longmire, Shameless, RuPaul's Drag Race, and many others. He was called an 鈥渋ncredible guitar player with whip-smart lyrics鈥� by Michael Goldberg, writer for Rolling Stone Magazine.
Dr. Coleman lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and enjoys spending his free time with his wife, three adult children, and teenage grandson. 鈥淚鈥檝e been studying classical piano for the past 2 years,鈥� he shared. 鈥淚 doubt any of it will ever make its way onto a show (unless it鈥檚 a reality show about people learning how to play classical piano), but I like the challenge and discipline of it.鈥� He鈥檚 also an avid non-fiction reader most interested in the fields of history, sociology, and evolution.