Ben Michaelis, Ph.D.

Ben Michaelis, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist, popular blogger for Huffington Post and Psychology Today, and the author of Your Next Big Thing: Ten Small Steps to Get Moving and Get Happy. He has worked with hundreds of patients, including New York Times best-selling authors, musicians, artists, entrepreneurs, business professionals, and students to help them realize their dreams. In his book and dynamic keynote talks, Michaelis shares his proven strategies to end monotonous routines and unlock creativity to lead a life of purpose. He is the author of numerous scholarly articles, his popular blog on Psychology Today focuses on the importance of creativity in personal and professional growth, and he is a regular contributor to the Huffington Post. Michaelis has been featured as a mental health expert on various radio and television programs and publications including Parents magazine, Entertainment Weekly, the New York Times, Glamour, and Redbook, as well as many others.

Michaelis believes that we are all meant to create. The passion and energy he brings to his keynote talks is the basis for his approach to psychological treatment. He teaches audiences to discover their true selves, what they really need out of life – and how to get it. He provides audiences with a 10-step plan to find the path right for them, face what’s holding them back, and break through the illusions that have been keeping them from a life of possibilities. Michaelis leaves audiences with the inspiration and power to conquer each of their personal and business goals and obtain the life they truly desire and deserve.

Michaelis grew up in Teaneck, N.J. among creative people from diverse economic and cultural backgrounds that fed his interest in theater arts, film, and self-discovery. He received an award from a Princeton University Science and Arts competition for a documentary film he created about racism in his hometown. This led him to enroll in the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University in Illinois, where he soon realized that he “didn’t fit well into the culture of the school,” and dropped out to travel to the Middle East. He returned to college at Columbia University (Columbia College). After graduating, Michaelis worked at the Children’s Television Workshop (CTW) performing research with children for Sesame Street and The New Ghostwriter Mysteries. After several years at CTW he felt the need to travel once again, this time to India and Nepal where he wrote, thought, and learned.

Michaelis graduated summa cum laude from Columbia University (Columbia College) in 1995 and was admitted to Phi Beta Kappa the same year. He earned his Master’s degree from New York University in 2001 and received his Ph.D. in 2004, also from NYU. Michaelis was the recipient of a MacCracken Graduate Fellowship and was a teaching fellow at NYU in 2000 and 2001. He completed his clinical internship at New York University-Bellevue Hospital in 2004. Michaelis has been in private practice since 2005. He is the co-founder of the Downtown Clinicians Collective, New York City’s largest organization of clinicians providing service to the downtown community. He has served on the medical faculty of Lenox Hill Hospital and is currently a visiting scholar at Columbia University. He lives with his family in Brooklyn.