Prof. Susie Orbach is a world-renowned British Jewish psychotherapist, social psychologist, analyst, and public critic. She is the co-founder of The Women’s Therapy Centre in London and famously served as a therapist to Princess Diana.
Prof. Orbach is best known for her 1978 classic Fat is a Feminist Issue, which revolutionized the understanding of body image and eating disorders through a feminist lens. Her career is dedicated to exploring the inextricable link between the “individual psyche and socio-politics,” arguing that personal psychological distress is often a reflection of systemic social oppression. A recipient of numerous lifetime achievement awards in psychology, she has held visiting professorships at prestigious institutions like The New School. Her contribution lies not just in clinical work but in using psychoanalysis as a tool for social critique and equality.
Prof. Orbach is a core member and staunch supporter of Independent Jewish Voices (IJV UK). She maintains that Jews must possess the capacity to reflect on their own power and the harm inflicted on others. She has signed numerous open letters calling for an end to the occupation and has critiqued the weaponization of antisemitism to stifle legitimate criticism of Israeli policy. She once noted: “As a Jew, I feel a particular duty to oppose the injustice that is done to Palestinians……The Israeli government does not speak for me.” She utilizes a psychoanalytic lens to expose the dehumanization inherent in the occupation.