Dr. Fred J. Goldstein

Goldstein, Dr. Fred J.
Noted Beverly Hills Psychologist Fred Goldstein 82, who counseled Hollywood and the famous from his couch, succumbed to pneumonia at his home on Tuesday, August 16th. Goldstein was born in New York on January 27, 1923 and grew up on the Lower East Side. His parents were Polish/Russian immigrants and his family of seven shared a two room apartment. He attended Yeshiva University in New York but once he completed rabbinical study, he decided that he was better suited to psychology, where he could help others solve their problems. To support his studies, he worked as a principal of a Hebrew school. He later attended NYU where he obtained his bachelor's degree, and attended U.C. Berkeley, where he received his Ph.D. He spoke six languages and was an avid reader and scholar. After his internship at the famous Menninger Clinic in Kansas, Goldstein moved to Beverly Hills to raise his family because of their excellent schools. Governor Pat Brown appointed Goldstein to serve on the State Board of Medical Examiners and oversaw the examination and licensure of new psychologists and psychoanalysts. He opened a private practice in Beverly Hills which soon flourished. He often testified in court cases as an expert witness, and did so across the country. He was one of the first psychologists to testify before Congress and served on President Johnson's Commission on pornography. He was a patron and supporter of the arts, liberal political causes and worked with Dr. Benjamin Spock. He loved traveling, The LA Lakers, but his family was his greatest passion. His patients benefited from his warmth and open easy manner, his office filled with mountains of papers and reports that he was endlessly generated. Some of his patients included the Hollywood elite, rich and famous, but he always maintained confidences and referred to his patients as his friends, because he saw them that way. Money was not an obstacle to being seen or treated. He would regularly take on patients would could not afford to pay anything. Many times he was "paid" for his services with a cake or cookies that a patient would bake, since that was all they could afford. He had a large heart and left a legacy of kindness, love and healing. He is survived by his wife Kathy, his daughter Elana, sons Marc, Josh and Jonny, and by grandchildren, Jamie, Camille, Jason, Gregory and Jacqueline, ranging in age from 16 to four. Services are scheduled for 11AM on Friday, August 19th at Beth Shalom at the Conejo Mountain Memorial Park, 2082 Howard, in Camarillo, California. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Valley Beth Shalom Hebrew School, Encino, (818) 788-6000.