Portrait of Dr. Barnhart, board-certified psychiatrist based in San Francisco Bay Area

J. Connor Barnhart, MD

(He/Him)

I am a physician licensed in California and board-certified in Adult Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology.

I grew up primarily in the U.S. Midwest, though I also spent some time abroad and in Southern California in childhood. Drawn to the openness of the campus culture and curriculum, I applied early to Brown University in Providence, RI — where I graduated with honors and was the recipient of the 2013 George W. Hagy Prize in Human Biology. Prior to medical school, I spent a year in Boston with New Sector Alliance/AmeriCorps, which fostered an interest in the role of tech in health care.

I attended medical school at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, routinely among the top-ranking academic medical centers. There, I explored the intersections of healthcare and technology by auditing Wharton courses and helping to organize a health-focused hackathon. At the same time, I found myself drawn to the mental health field due to the central role of the doctor-patient relationship in healing. It is uniquely rewarding getting to know an individual and their story in the service of helping them to unlocking their full potential.

After a decade on the east coast, I realized a long-held dream of returning to California when I came to the University of California, San Francisco for Adult Psychiatry residency. At UCSF, I had the opportunity to work with patients within the Bipolar, LGBT and Women’s Mental Health specialty clinics. I developed focused expertise in integrative psychiatry through a year-long rotation at the UCSF Osher Center, where the wisdom of ancient approaches to healing complements traditional medicine. Finally, I earned an area of distinction in the emerging field of neuromodulation through my study of these newer interventions that offer hope for those who have not found success with usual treatments. I am committed to continually updating my knowledge base in order to provide the best possible care to my patients.

My therapy training has included exposure to psychodynamic, supportive, interpersonal, motivational, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and mindfulness-based approaches. I augmented the training I received at UCSF by completing the Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Training Program at the San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis. As such, my personal style as a therapist is predominately psychodynamic and insight-oriented—that is, an approach that fosters self-understanding by identifying patterns in one’s life experiences and using that knowledge to bring about positive change in the present. However, at times, I do incorporate other approaches based on the individual with whom I’m working.

Education

Psychotherapy: San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis

Medical Residency (Adult Psychiatry): University of California, San Francisco

Medical School (M.D.): University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine

Undergraduate (Sc.B.): Brown University

Professional Affiliations

American Psychiatric Association (APA) - Member

Northern California Psychiatric Society (NCPS) - General Council Member

California State Association of Psychiatrists (CSAP) - Board Member

American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology (ABPN) - Diplomate