About Us

Founded in 1822, The Institute of Living was one of the first mental health centers in the United States, and the first hospital of any kind in Connecticut.

Located on 35 acres landscaped by Frederick Law Olmsted, The Institute of Living lies near the center of Hartford, Connecticut.

Becoming a Division of Hartford Hospital in 1994, it remains one of America's leading not-for-profit centers for comprehensive patient care, research and education in the fields of behavioral, psychiatric, and addiction disorders.

Welcome.

Our facility has a longstanding humanistic tradition and was founded on the principles of moral treatment for those we serve. We are part of Hartford Healthcare’s Behavioral Health Network, which is one of the largest and most comprehensive networks in the United States.

During 2022 and 2023 we will be celebrating our 200^th anniversary. This moment in history provides us with an opportunity to honor our tradition, celebrate our present, and a look forward to our future as we re-imagine how to deliver on the promise of moral treatment into the 21^st century and beyond. The Institute was founded in 1822 and incorporated in 1823, so the celebration will occur over a two-year period.

As Chair and Chief of Psychiatry at the IOL, I am part of a team of diverse colleagues who are dedicated to co-designing systems of care with those we serve. Our recovery-oriented approach seeks to meaningfully involve people who have participated in treatment and integrate their expertise as Recovery Support Specialists into our system. An increasing number of Recovery Support Specialists are joining the team as interns and staff throughout the system.

Other important elements of our mission include research and education. The IOL has multiple training programs in psychiatry, psychology, social work, nursing, and rehabilitation. We have a tradition of interprofessional collaboration and collegiality. We are also home to the Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center, the Anxiety Disorders Center, and a robust Clinical Trials Unit.

We will continue to prioritize health equity and justice throughout our mission. We hope to advance gender-affirming health services, as well as research on racial trauma and healing to further inform treatment and provide the highest level of care for all of our patients.

We hope you can be part of co-writing the next chapter of our history. If you have any thoughts, ideas, or feedback please do not hesitate to reach out.

Javeed Sukhera, MD
Chair of Psychiatry Institute of Living
Chief of Psychiatry Hartford Hospital

The Institute offers a full spectrum of services that can be found here.

Research and education are important elements of The Institute's mission. The Institute has training programs in psychiatry, psychology, social work, nursing, and rehabilitation. Please click here to view research and education programs.

As a research center, The Institute conducts clinical trials of investigational new drugs and is a leader in outcome studies. Research is conducted in the following areas:

• Anxiety Disorders Center
• Braceland Center
• Burlingame Center
• Olin Center
• Clinical Treatment Trials

Community commitment is strong at The Institute of Living. As a south end fixture since 1822, The Institute is proud to contribute to the stability and strength of its immediate neighborhood and the city beyond.

Accomplishments

• In partnership with ValueOptions and the Connecticut Department of Children and Families, Institute of Living is one of three centralized hubs for the ACCESS-MH CT program, providing consultative psychiatry services to primary care physicians treating children and adolescents in Connecticut. Services based at the HHC BHN hub are available to pediatricians in 78 Connecticut towns.
• Working with the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) in an expanded partnership to offer mental health first aid (MHFA) and Youth Mental Health First Aide (YMHFA) training to educators and school personnel.
• Godfrey Pearlson, MD, Founding Director of the Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center at Institute of Living, named the 2015 recipient of the prestigious Stanley Dean Award for Research in Schizophrenia from the American College of Psychiatrists. Dr. Pearlson is being honored for his lifetime of research in this field, which the bestowing organization says constitutes a “major contribution to the understanding and treatment of schizophrenic disorders.”
• David Tolin, Ph.D., director of the Anxiety Disorders Center and Center for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy at Institute of Living, awarded a $2.9 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health for the study "Neural Mechanisms of CBT Response in Hoarding Disorder."
• The Hartford Hospital Black & Red gala raised over $1 million for Institute of Living programming.
• Founded in 1822, Institute of Living was one of the first mental health centers in the United States, and the first hospital of any kind in Connecticut.
• Numerous trees on the grounds of the Institute represent rare or unusually large species, many dating back to the 1860s, when the grounds of the Institute were designed by noted landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted.