Carl Fleisher, MD,
FAPA, DFAACAP

Dr. Fleisher is the founder and Medical Director of Stratus Mental Health Center. Dr. Fleisher is a board-certified child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist specializing in evidence-based treatment for anxiety, depression and emotion dysregulation disorders in children, adolescents, young adults and families. His approach is child- and family-centered, starting by getting to know the person. He develops a thorough understanding of the clinical problem across biological, psychological, behavioral, functional, and systemic factors. He then works with patients and families to create an evidence-based treatment plan with clear and measurable goals for improvement. He looks to medication only as a last resort, and only using the smallest dose possible. With children, if medication is necessary, Dr. Fleisher expects that its use will be time-limited, with a clear justification and measurable goals.

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Dr. Fleisher is recognized nationally and internationally as an expert in the diagnosis and treatment of borderline personality disorder (BPD). He has lectured about at UCLA, UCSD, Johns Hopkins University, Baylor University and the Roytal Hospital at the University of Ottawa, among others. He is one of the few psychiatrists in the United States with training in multiple evidence-based treatments for BPD. He is certified as a Supervisor for Mentalization-Based Therapy for Adolescents (MBT-A) with BPD. He is certified as a Trainer in Good Psychiatric Management of BPD by the Gunderson Personality Disorder Institute at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts, where he had the privilege of working with Dr. John Gunderson. Lastly, he has also received training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy with Prolonged Exposure (DBT-PE) from Dr. Melanie Harned, who developed that treatment in collaboration with Dr. Marsha Linehan.

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​Dr. Fleisher has been in practice for over 10 years. He was an Assistant Clinical Professor at UCLA for over six years, while also maintaining a small private practice in Beverly Hills. Following that, for three years he served as Medical Director of the Los Angeles office of the Boston Child Study Center.

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Dr. Fleisher obtained a B.A. in Psychology with Honors from Haverford College. He earned his medical degree at Harvard Medical School. He then moved to California, completing both residency and fellowship training at the UCLA Semel Institute and Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital. After fellowship, Dr. Fleisher returned to Boston, joining the faculty of Harvard Medical School with a position at McLean Hospital. There, he developed expertise in treating obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) while directing the Child and Adolescent OCD Institute, a residential treatment program affectionately known as OCDI Jr. While at McLean, he also volunteered in the mentalization based therapy clinic, providing low-cost treatment for individuals with BPD.

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Dr. Fleisher is a father of two. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his children, hiking, and rooting for his hometown Philadelphia Eagles.