Leston Havens
| Leston Havens | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
Leston Laycock Havens 31 July 1924 New York City, New York[1] |
| Died |
29 July 2011 (aged 86) Cambridge, Massachusetts[1] |
| Residence | Cambridge, Massachusetts |
| Nationality | American |
| Fields | Psychotherapy |
| Institutions | Harvard Medical School |
| Alma mater | Cornell Medical School |
| Known for | Psychotherapy |
Leston Laycock Havens (July 31, 1924–July 29, 2011) was an American psychiatrist and psychotherapist known best for his work on biological psychiatry, rehabilitation of severely ill patients, and methods of interviewing patients.
Early life
Leston was born on July 31, 1924 in New York City. He grew up in Brooklyn with his father, a lawyer. It was thought that he would follow in his father's footsteps and become a lawyer. Instead, Leston went to Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts where he studied English and History as well as Philosophy.[1] He graduated with his B.A. Magna cum Laude in 1947. After graduation, he joined the Army and served on Tinian, an island in the Pacific, where he located and detonated abandoned ammunition.
Academic life
After returning from his service in the military, Leston attended the Cornell Medical School, graduating with his M.D. in 1952. He served as an intern in Internal Medicine at the New York Hospital and stayed there until 1954 as an Assistant Resident. He completed his residency from 1954-1958 at the Boston Psychopathic Hospital (now the Massachusetts Mental Health Center). This began a long connection with the Harvard University Medical School. In 1954, Leston was appointed as a Teaching Fellow in Psychiatry at Harvard and by 1971 was promoted to full professor status at Harvard Medical School. While at Mass Mental, he founded the Psychopharmacology Unit; one of the first in the country and one that would become famous. There he completed many studies on Electroconvulsive Therapy. Between 1964 and 1982 Havens directed the medical student clerkship at Mass Mental and from 1987-1996 he directed the psychiatry residency at the Cambridge Hospital. At Cambridge Hospital he was a beloved teacher and mentor who influenced the development of many young psychiatrists. He was an iconoclast and great patient advocate, teaching his students to listen and relate to their patients and not categorize or pathologize them.
Awards
Leston Havens received many awards throughout his career.[2]
- 1952 Cornell University Medical School: Morton prize in Internal Medicine, Samuel prize in ophthalmology, Alpha Omega Alpha
- 1958 A.E. Bennett Award, Society of Biological Psychiatry
- 1962 McCurdy Prize, Massachusetts Society for Research in Psychiatry
- 1970 Fried Lecture, Newton-Wellesley Hospital
- 1973 Who's Who in America
- 1977 H.C. Solomon Award with Thomas G. Gutheil, M.D.
- 1979 Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching, Harvard Medical School, plus numerous nominations
- 1979 Elvin Semrad Teaching Award, Massachusetts Mental Health Center
- 1981 Valentina Donahue-Turner Award for Teaching, Harvard Medical School
- 1986 Harry Stack Sullivan Lecture, The Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital
- 1986 Honorable Bernard Towson-Lectureship in Psychiatry, Cornell North Shore Hospital
- 1989 Frieda Fromm Reichman Lecturer, Washington Psychiatric Society
- 1992 Price Lecture, Trinity Church, Boston, MA
- 1995 Benjamin Rush Award and Lecture, American Psychiatric Association
- 1995 Nomination for 1995 Harvard Medical School Award for Excellence in Mentoring
- 1997 William F. Orr Lecture
- 1997 Zigmond Lebensohn Lecture
- 1998 Lee Hasenbush Lecture, MMHC
- 1998 Jacob Finesinger Lecture, University of Maryland
- 1999 Honorary Member, William Alanson White Institute, New York
Bibliography
- Approaches to the Mind: Movement of the Psychiatric Schools From Sects Toward Science (1973 & 1987)
- Participant Observation (1976, 1983, & 1993)
- Making Contact: Uses of Language in Psychotherapy (1986)
- A Safe Place: Laying the Groundwork of Psychotherapy (1989, 1991, & 1996)
- Coming to Life (1993)
- Learning to Be Human (1994)
- The real World Guide to Psychotherapy Practice (2000) Written with Dr. Alex N. Sabo