David Brand

David Brand, PhD passed away February 16, 2026 before the world was ready. Born in Connecticut in 1950 to Milt and Carolyn (who never knew quite what to do with him), he spent most of his youth in Michigan, and majored in Philosophy in the Honors College at the University of Michigan, where he was student body president and active in the social justice movements of the late 1960s. David moved to New York in 1972 to begin his PhD in Clinical Psychology at Adelphi University on Long Island.

Following his training, he worked as a practicing psychotherapist until his death, in private practice on West 9th Street in Greenwich Village and for a time on staff at Heights Hill Clinic and St. Vincent's Hospital. He returned to Adelphi's Derner Institute for an advanced certificate and then to teach trainees about Freud, his scholarly area of expertise, followed by teaching positions at the National Institute of the Psychotherapies and the Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy. Fifty years of practice and study never dimmed his enthusiasm for the field of psychotherapy, which he found endlessly stimulating.

It may be uncommon for someone as passionate about his work as David was to have been equally devoted to his private life and interests, but David was never one to approach a pursuit with half-measures. He will be remembered for his joy in being a father to Clara and Louis, and grandfather to Julian, Alexander, and Daisy. Friends and family will always remember how infectious his enthusiasm for the finer things in life could be, including international travel, wine, guitar, regional pizza styles, theater, Brooklyn brownstones, grilling, loud shirts, and the Yankees. By the end, he had almost certainly perfected his smoked salmon technique, inspired by a trip to the Pacific Northwest in 1992.

He is survived by his wife of twenty years, Virginia Steffani Brand; two children, Clara (Rob) Kribs and Louis (Catherine) Brand; three grandchildren, Julian & Alexander Kribs and Daisy Brand; step-son Christien Forte; first wife, Victoria Murray Brand; and three siblings.