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Harlem Family Services & Harlem Family Institute:Transforming Mental Health, Empowering Communities
Harlem Family Services (HFS), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is dedicated to providing comprehensive mental health services to Harlem and neighboring communities. As a subsidiary of the Harlem Family Institute (HFI), HFS operates The Margaret Morgan Lawrence Center for Family and Child Development, a licensed NYS OMH Article 31 Mental Health Clinic. HFS ensures that underserved, uninsured, and marginalized populations have access to high-quality in-person and virtual care, addressing critical mental health needs with compassion and cultural responsiveness.
HFS plays a pivotal role in delivering evidence-based, trauma-informed services, focusing on empowering individuals, families, and communities to heal and thrive.
Who is Margaret Morgan Lawrence?
Dr. Margaret Morgan Lawrence was a pioneer in the child psychiatry and mental health field, who faced challanges of racism and sexism throughout her career. Through her resilience and determination, Margaret became the first African American to complete residency at the New York Psychiatric Institute in 1948 and the first Black trainee certified in psychoanalysis at Columbia University. After earning her degree from Cornell University, Margaret was denied entry into Cornell Medical School due to her race, but overcame that barrier when she became the third Black woman to attend Columbia University of Physicians and Surgeons. She founded the Rockland County Center for Mental Health and served as chief of the Developmental Psychiatry Service at Harlem Hospital for over two decades. Recognized with the J.R. Bernstein Mental Health Award in 1975, her work emphasized the integration of psychoanalysis with community health approaches.
Comprehensive Services
HFS offers a wide range of client-centered programs tailored to meet diverse needs:
Mental Health Services
• Individual, family, and group therapy.
• Comprehensive psychological and psychiatric evaluations.
• Psychotropic medication management as needed.
School & Family Consultation
Life coaching and wellness strategies to strengthen families and support students.
Forensic & Social Justice Support
Addressing mental health needs within justice-related contexts.
Reflective Network Therapy
Specialized services for children with developmental and special needs.
Professional Consultation Services
HFS provides expert consultation to:
• Nonprofit organizations.
• Community groups.
• Law enforcement agencies.
• Clergy and faith-based organizations.
• Educators and school administrators.
Through these consultations, HFS equips stakeholders with practical tools, strategies, and insights to address mental health challenges, improve community engagement, and foster resilience.
A Hub for Community Wellness
The Margaret Morgan Lawrence Center, operated by HFS, is more than just a clinic—it serves as a vital community resource. With workshops, educational events, and training programs, HFS fosters collaboration and strengthens the foundation of community mental health and well-being.
Leadership and Expertise of the HFS Board of Directors
HFS thrives under the leadership and expertise of its dedicated Board of Directors, composed of professionals with extensive experience in mental health, nonprofit management, community advocacy, and organizational development. Their strategic guidance ensures HFS remains focused on its mission to deliver transformative, culturally responsive mental health services. Together, the Board and leadership team work tirelessly to expand HFS’s reach and address the growing mental health needs of Harlem and beyond.
Harlem Family Institute: The Foundation of Excellence
As the parent organization of HFS, the Harlem Family Institute (HFI) has been a pioneer in mental health care and psychoanalytic training for over 33 years. HFI equips clinicians with the skills and expertise to provide culturally informed, trauma-sensitive care while ensuring that mental health resources reach underserved populations.HFI’s dual mission—to train clinicians and provide accessible mental health services—has made a profound impact across New York City, particularly in communities of color. By bridging the gap between training and service delivery, HFI empowers individuals and families to overcome barriers, build resilience, and achieve lasting wellness.
Guided by a Shared Vision
Together, HFS and HFI work in synergy to redefine mental health care. HFI provides the foundation of expertise and training, while HFS serves as the operational arm, delivering critical services directly to the community. This collaborative model ensures that individuals and families receive the highest quality of care, rooted in compassion, equity, and innovation.
Message from the Chair and President
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New York City has seen its share of hard times — but the weight we carry now, from mental strain and economic uncertainty to moments of crisis and the lasting impact of trauma, is unlike anything we’ve faced before. These challenges touch every age, every background, every story in Harlem. Some are visible. Many are not. And in times like these, we all long for a place that feels steady when the world feels unsteady — a place where we know we are seen, heard, and valued.
Harlem Family Services (HFS) is that place. As a proud subsidiary of the Harlem Family Institute, our name may be new, but our work is rooted in 33 years of experience serving families and communities with compassion, expertise, and cultural understanding. We’ve taken that legacy and built it into a vision shaped by Harlem’s unique history and heartbeat — one centered on mental wellness, resilience, and community strength.
We meet people where they are — without judgment or shame — creating a safe space for healing and growth. Whether it’s consulting with frontline workers, walking with parents through the challenges of raising children in uncertain times, guiding immigrants as they navigate new lives, supporting families with special needs, offering counseling, or simply being a steady presence when the road feels too heavy to travel alone, we carry this work together, side by side.
At HFS, mental wellness is more than a service — it’s a relationship. It’s built in trust, in connection, and in belonging. For anyone wondering where they fit in, where their story matters, and where they can rest for a moment in the care of others — we are that place.
— Rev. Sheila P Johnson, LP, MPS
Chair and President, Harlem Family Services
HARLEM FAMILY SERVICES BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Rev. Sheila Poynter Johnson, LP, MPS, Chair and President, is a licensed psychoanalyst, ordained minister, educator, author, and social justice advocate with over 11 years of clinical experience and a strong background in non-profit leadership. Rev. Johnson has held significant leadership roles and made substantial contributions to community service and education, pioneering the integration of spirituality and mental health.
Gilbert W. Kliman, MD, Deputy Chair, is a Harvard-trained psychiatrist renowned for developing Reflective Network Therapy. ® His extensive expertise also informs his work as a sought-after forensic examiner, testifying in hundreds of high-profile court cases, especially involving children. The Harlem Family Institute offers Dr. Kliman’s Guided Activity Workbooks to help parents, teachers, therapists, and disaster relief responders working with children and families traumatized by natural or man-made disasters.
Paula Christian Kliger, PhD, ABPP, Founding Chair and President, is a renowned clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst with 35 years of experience. Dr. Kliger specializes in diverse clinical, organizational, community-based, and transformational change, crisis, and trauma work. She holds prominent leadership roles at various professional institutions, received the Public Leadership Credential (PLC) from Harvard University, and is an award-winning author who integrates sociocultural history, mental health, and the arts.
Neil Altman, PhD, is a distinguished psychoanalytic psychotherapist with extensive experience in community mental health and private practice. He currently serves as Harlem Family Institute Chair for the Bridging Outreach Steering Committee and Community-Based Discussion Group Initiatives. Dr. Altman is a prolific writer. He has published four examination of cultural and social factors in psychoanalysis in the urban environment, The Analyst in the Inner City: Race, Class and Culture through a Psychoanalytic Lens (2009) emphasizing cultural and societal factors in psychoanalysis.
Michael Gerard Connolly, MPA, LP, NCPsyA, is a Licensed Psychoanalyst, President, and Executive Director of the Harlem Family Institute as well as a deeply experienced journalist. Since 2006, Michael has served children and families in Harlem. He has led the Institute's redevelopment and expanded its intercultural psychoanalytic training and community services while serving as Treasurer of the American Board for Accreditation in Psychoanalysis.
Louis Pansulla, LCSW-R, is a psychoanalyst and educator with private practice in Brooklyn and Manhattan, specializing in marginalized and vulnerable populations. He is a Core Faculty and Clinical Supervisor at the Institute for Clinical Social Work in Chicago and the Chinese American Psychoanalytic Association, dedicating his teaching and research to addressing diverse communities' unique needs.
ADVISORY BOARD
Ankhi Mukherjee, PhD is Professor of English and World Literatures at Oxford University and Tutorial Fellow at Wadham College. Her acclaimed research bridges literature, psychoanalysis, and global mental health, with a focus on urban poverty and the lived experiences of marginalized communities. Her book, "Unseen City: The Psychic Lives of the Urban Poor (2021)," explores the relationship between global cities, precarity, and mental illness, advocating for more equitable and humanistic approaches to mental health care. Professor Mukherjee collaborates with community psychotherapeutic initiatives worldwide, championing the mental well-being of the dispossessed and underserved.