Andrew Tatarsky, PhD
Founder of Integrative Harm Reduction Psychotherapy (IHRP)
“The Integrative Harm Reduction model is founded on compassion, respect, empowerment, and collaboration, providing the opportunity to meet people wherever they are on their positive change journey... As clinicians, we have a responsibility to offer care to those who need it, and a harm reduction treatment model allows us to extend the scope of our reach by offering individuals nearly infinite instances to enter, progress, and succeed in recovery at a pace that is appropriate to them.”
Dr. Andrew Tatarsky has worked with people who struggle with drugs and their families for over 40 years.
A leader in the field, Dr. Tatarsky developed Integrative Harm Reduction Psychotherapy (IHRP) to address the spectrum of risky and addictive behavior. As the Director of Clinical Programming at Freedom Institute, Dr. Tatarsky will integrate the IHRP framework into the organization’s abstinence-based programs to develop a comprehensive, individualized, harm reduction-informed addiction treatment program. He is also responsible for the development and facilitation of internal and external IHRP training programs for individual practitioners and organizations.
A renowned clinician, educator, author, and advocate, Dr. Tatarsky aims to reinforce a re-humanized view of problematic substance use and provide a continuum of care that extends help to all those who need and want it. The principles of IHRP are described in his book, Harm Reduction Psychotherapy: A New Treatment for Drug and Alcohol Problems, which has been translated into three languages. Dr. Tatarsky has also led over 100 training, consulting, and teaching presentations across 20 countries.
Before joining Freedom Institute in 2024, Dr. Tatarsky served as the director of the Center for Optimal Living in New York City, which he founded in 2011. He has also worked as a consultant to a broad range of behavioral health organizations and practices.
Dr. Tatarsky holds a doctorate in clinical psychology from the City University of New York and is a graduate of New York University’s Postdoctoral Program in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy. He is a long-time member of the Medical and Clinical Advisory Panels to the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) and has contributed to the OASAS regulations that support a harm reduction approach.