Dr. Miri Bar-Halpern

Dr. Miri Bar-Halpern

Director of Intensive Outpatient Services

Dr. Miri Bar-Halpern is a licensed clinical psychologist and the Director of Intensive Outpatient Treatment Services at the Boston Child Study Center (BCSC). In addition to her work at BCSC, she is a Clinical Instructor in Psychology at Harvard Medical School and a trainer at the Trauma Institute at McLean Hospital, where she received the Partners in Excellence Award. Further, Dr. Bar-Halpern provides consultation and professional workshops on evidence-based treatments both nationally and internationally to psychiatric hospitals, mental health organizations, and schools. She is the Chief Clinical Officer at a mental health tech company, as well as an author, public speaker and advisor to digital health companies.

Dr. Bar-Halpern earned her Bachelor of Arts at Tel Aviv University and her Master of Arts and doctorate in clinical psychology at the University of Hartford, graduating with the Highest Honors and the Regent Honor Award. She is extensively trained in implementing a broad range of evidence-based interventions to treat children, adolescents, and families. She is trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and DBT-C for adolescents and children with self- harm and suicidal behaviors, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for anxiety and depression, and DBT-PTSD, TARGET, TF-CBT, and DBT-PE for individuals with PTSD. Dr. Bar-Halpern is also trained in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Motivational Interviewing, and Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) for Children with Disruptive Behaviors.

Dr. Bar-Halpern has expertise in acute residential and outpatient treatment settings for severe psychiatric conditions, including diagnosing and treating adolescents and young adults with multiple diagnoses. She views her clients as part of a larger system, and therefore has a specific interest in providing parent coaching and family therapy that can lead to a long-lasting change. As an expert in the field of trauma, Dr. Bar-Halpern has developed treatment manuals, therapy groups, and training seminars and has been invited to present nationally and internationally. She has published several chapters and articles about trauma and emotion regulation, including the book, Becoming a Superhero: The Development of a Book For Children Who Have Been Exposed to Trauma.

Currently, Dr. Bar-Halpern provides direct patient care, supervision (local and international), and training in evidence-based treatments. Dr. Bar-Halpern also provides consultation to schools and organizations in developing trauma-informed social-emotional programs to enhance safety, quality of life, and performance. She is an active advocate and speaker who provides interviews and consultation to the media on these topics.

Born and raised in Israel, Dr. Bar-Halpern highly values culturally-sensitive intervention and offers therapy in both English and Hebrew. She leads with curiosity and uses a compassionate and direct approach with her clients to support them in achieving their individualized treatment goals.