Eugene Hightower, Psychologist

Dr. Gene Hightower is a licensed clinical Psychologist who has spent most of his professional career serving vulnerable populations and has expertise in ethnic minority mental health. He is American Indian and is descendant from the Choctaw, Cherokee, and Creek tribes. Dr. Hightower is a member of the Society of Indian Psychologists. He is a past Director of Clinical Services at the Native American Health Services Oakland and was the program manager at Walden House, a sobriety-based substance abuse program. Dr. Hightower has taught Positive Psychology courses and Native American Psychology at UC Berkeley and Stanford. He published a book on Counseling Native American Indians in 2019 and is editor of a textbook on Native American Indian Psychosocial Identity. His undergraduate education in Social Relations was at Harvard, he completed a Masters in Community Mental Health at UC Berkeley, a doctorate in Social Clinical Psychology at the Wright Institute, a clinical internship in community psychology at UCSF, and was a postdoctoral fellow in personality development at UC Berkeley. He is currently a Research Associate in the Department of Psychology at UC Berkeley. Dr. Hightower’s clinical approach is based on Rational Emotive Therapy, Positive Psychology, and an appreciation of Cultural Diversity.