Dr. Robert P. Liberman

August 16, 1937 - August 20, 2021 Dr. Robert P. Liberman, a psychiatrist who pioneered the development of rehabilitation for the mentally disabled and spread his methods throughout the world, died surrounded by family on Friday, August 20th. He was 84 years old.Dr. Liberman was the first psychiatrist to prove that seriously and persistently mentally ill individuals, such as those with chronic schizophrenia, could learn to control their symptoms, improve their social and independent living skills and enjoy a better quality of life. His first book, "A Guide to Behavioral Analysis and Therapy" (1972), demonstrated how principles of human learning could be applied to a wide variety of persons with mental disorders, including those who had spent most of their lives in hospitals or locked facilities, segregated from the rest of the population. His research showed that most mentally disabled individuals could function in society if they received comprehensive, continuous, consistent, coordinated, consumer-oriented and compassionate treatment. He also proved that engaging families as partners in treatment led to marked reductions in relapse rates, lessened emotional burden and lowered costs to society.Dr. Liberman's research on developing effective treatments was conducted in state hospitals, community mental health centers and Veterans medical centers, as well as at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute. He spent over 35 years travelling throughout the world to demonstrate his methods and help professionals in his field to adapt his techniques to local situations. His module based training programs were adopted by psychiatrists and psychologists in Europe, Asia, South America, North Africa and in all 50 states in the United States. His books and rehabilitation programs were translated into 24 languages.Robert Paul Liberman was born in Newark, New Jersey, received his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth, medical degree from Johns Hopkins and psychiatric training at Harvard. He spent 6 years in the U.S. Public Health Service, moving to California in 1970 when he joined the medical faculty at UCLA. He was an activist that led medical professionals against the war in Vietnam in a demonstration at the White House in Washington DC. In 2000, he received an award for his work in rehabilitation and human rights at the United Nations. Despite over a half century of noteworthy professional accomplishments, he was most proud of his family, and loved spending time with them exploring countries and cultures around the world, and making memories together at his home of 50 years on Lake Sherwood in the Santa Monica mountains. Dr. Liberman is survived by his wife, Janet Brown-Liberman, two sons, Peter of New York City and Nate of Los Angeles; three daughters, Sarah Jane Horton of New York City, Danica of Los Angeles and Annalisa Murphy of Los Angeles; twelve grandchildren; and brother, Art of Palo Alto. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness.