Richard Gottlieb, MD

Dr. Richard Gottlieb is a Board-Certified Psychiatrist with a deep commitment to helping clients better understand themselves and improve their quality of life. He grew up in New York and Arizona, part of a large family shaped by profound intergenerational experiences—including his father’s survival of World War II Europe. These early experiences sparked Dr. Gottlieb’s lifelong fascination with the boundaries of human knowledge, leading him from childhood dreams of space exploration to a meaningful career exploring the complexities of the human mind.

Dr. Gottlieb earned his Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Arizona State University and his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Arizona. He completed both his internship and psychiatry residency at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and later earned a Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) in Psychoanalysis from the Southern California Psychoanalytic Institute. He is Board Certified in Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.

With a cerebral and fun-loving nature, Dr. Gottlieb believes that therapy is a collaborative process built on trust, safety, and respect. He understands how challenging it can be to open up about personal experiences and encourages clients to move at their own pace, guiding discussions while always honoring their autonomy. His approach integrates cognitive and psychoanalytic therapies, drawing on decades of clinical research to support individualized treatment. While cognitive techniques can be effective in helping clients manage symptoms and make logical behavioral changes, Dr. Gottlieb’s psychoanalytic training offers a deeper route: helping individuals gain awareness of unconscious conflicts that may be driving distress—leading to lasting insight and growth.

What keeps him working in this field is his enduring passion for helping people reconnect with themselves and reshape their inner world. Whether he’s helping someone identify the source of long-standing struggles or supporting a new phase of personal development, Dr. Gottlieb is devoted to meaningful, transformative work.

Outside of work, Dr. Gottlieb and his wife enjoy traveling, staying active at the gym, attending live theater, and socializing with friends. He also holds a special interest in the UFO phenomenon, especially in light of recent formal acknowledgments by the U.S. government—a reminder that curiosity and wonder still have a place in science and healing.