Best Psychologist Bakersfield Near Me

4worldlovers: Dr. Jay E. Fisher has been in full-time private practice as a clinical psychologist for 39 years, making him the longest-standing psychologist in full-time private practice in the Bakersfield area. He specializes in working with children, adolescents and young adults. He also has special expertise, training, and experience in treating anxiety, depression, and stress in adults.


Dr. Fisher is especially skilled at developing a warm rapport with children at their level of development. Therapy with children takes into account their internal world, their real-world experience, and their strengths, as well as teaching parents effective discipline for negative behavior.


If your child expresses suicidal thoughts, you must get help right away. Ask your child if they have thought about a method -- or how he/she would kill himself/herself. If they have, call 9-8-8 or take them to the nearest emergency room immediately. If not, make an urgent appointment with a therapist!


Dr. Fisher's goal is to bring out the BEST in all of his clients. He utilizes play therapy with younger children in conjunction with traditional "talk" therapy. Your counseling is customized to fit your needs, personality, strengths and issues.​

"What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason! How infinite in faculties! In form and moving, how express and admirable! In action how like an angel! In apprehension how like a god! The beauty of the world, the paragon of animals!"

Dr. Fisher brings out the best in everyone's unique personality , identity and skillset. People are much greater than the negative symptoms they experience.

Dr. Fisher has been in practice as a clinical psychologist in Bakersfield, Calif. since 1983. His education includes a B.A. cum laude and with Distinction in Psychology from the Ohio State University (OSU), a Master's in Education in Counseling from Kent State University and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP).

He was awarded the Phillippe Reed Lawson Memorial Scholarship in Psychology in 1973. In 1974, he was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa, a national honorary society founded in 1776 for high attainments in a broad college curriculum. His post doctorate placement was at Porterville State Hospital, where he learned Applied Behavioral Analysis. In 1986 Jay E. Fisher, Ph.D. presented a paper based on a parenting course that he developed for his doctoral dissertation in San Francisco at the California Psychological Association Convention.

From 2000-2004, he studied contemporary psychoanalytic theories, especially Self Psychology and Robert Stolorow’s Intersubjective Systems Theory, at the Institute for Contemporary Psychoanalysis in Los Angeles, Calif. Dr. Fisher was analyzed by William Coburn, Ph.D., Psy.D., an analysand of Stolorow and major theorist of Complexity Theory and a significant contributor to modern self psychological theory.

Dr. Fisher developed a counseling program for kids with moderate to severe behavior problems in 1987 called Identity Psychotherapy. In 1993, he refined the psychotherapy to include kids with behavior problems, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and changed the name to Positive Esteem Psychotherapy.

Positive Esteem Psychotherapy is a strength-based therapy. The program consists of 5-10 individual sessions and 5-10 parenting sessions.

Dr. Fisher utilizes his unique approach and years of experience to address:

Dr. Fisher works closely with parents to develop a discipline approach that works best in decreasing negative behaviors and increasing empathy. Attachment difficulties, i.e. -- the child who is isolating himself/herself or depressed, also need to be addressed in parenting sessions. Some children have unique personalities and/or are very sensitive. Some have experienced trauma. They may need specialized individual treatment as well as parent help in expressing emotions and building self esteem. Strengthening the parent-child bond can also be a feature of treatment.

Dr. Fisher can assist with life's most complex and challenging circumstances. Contact me today and let me help you find the best in yourself and your family.