Dr. Arnold S. Berkman

Dr. Arnold S. Berkman of Okemos, 83, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, April 21 at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing.

A Lansing-area resident for more than 55 years, Dr. Berkman was born in Bronx, New York, on Sept. 2, 1942. He spent much of his childhood in Great Neck, New York, where he founded a jazz band and gained recognition as a talented clarinetist.

Upon graduation from high school, Dr. Berkman enrolled at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, intending to become a concert musician. However, he developed a strong interest in human behavior and decided to pursue a career in clinical psychology instead.

As a graduate student at the University of Pittsburgh, where he earned a Ph. D. in psychology, Dr. Berkman became a civil rights activist and traveled to Alabama in 1965 with the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee to march on the state capitol in Montgomery in support of the Voting Rights Act. While marching, Dr. Berkman and fellow student volunteers were attacked by state and local police.

After graduate school, Dr. Berkman completed a clinical internship at the University of Chicago. He then joined the faculty at Michigan State University. He worked in the Counseling Center and, later, in the Department of Psychiatry.

During this time, Dr. Berkman served as a mental health expert for the defense in the famous Francine Hughes murder trial, which was the first case to successfully utilize the “battered women’s syndrome” defense. The case became the subject of The Burning Bed, a best-selling true crime book that was later adapted into a television movie aired by NBC.

In the early 1980s, Dr. Berkman opened a private practice with his wife, Dr. Claire Fleet Berkman. Distinguished in his field, Dr. Berkman served as president of the Michigan Psychological Association in 1982. His approach to psychology was based on deep empathy and an astute understanding of the human condition and the life challenges people face.

While in private practice, Dr. Berkman recognized the changing landscape of healthcare delivery, particularly the emerging field of managed care. In the mid-1980s, he and colleagues organized a network of local mental health care professionals to provide care in a more collaborative framework. This evolved into the Synton Corporation, the nation’s first managed mental health care organization.

Beyond his professional career, Dr. Berkman had a passion for the performing and visual arts. Though he did not pursue a professional music career, he continued to play the clarinet, performing with local musicians, and for many years was a member of the Oakwood Wind Quintet. He also taught his daughter and grandson to play the clarinet.

Meanwhile, he pursued a lifelong interest in photography. Developing his skills through self-teaching and workshops, he traveled the world to build an extensive portfolio of work that won numerous awards at juried competitions. His signature slice-of-life and landscape photography was the subject of solo exhibits at the Lawrence Street Gallery in Ferndale, where he was an artist-in-residence. He also exhibited in Lansing, Ann Arbor and New York. Two of his photographs were selected for display at the Michigan Governor’s Mansion. Another photograph was hand-picked as a set piece for a Hollywood feature film.

In addition, Dr. Berkman was a patron of the arts, serving on the board of the Boarshead Theater in Lansing and he was a longtime subscriber to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Chamber Music Society of Detroit.

Dr. Berkman was also a leader in the Lansing Jewish community as a founding member of Congregation Kehillat Israel – for which he served on the board for many years – and was a board member of the Greater Lansing Jewish Federation.

But among his many accomplishments, Dr. Berkman was most proud of his family, which included four children and eight grandchildren. A dedicated Detroit Tigers fan, he took great joy in taking his children and grandchildren to games at Tiger Stadium and Comerica Park. He was also a longtime MSU football and basketball season ticketholder. Dr. Berkman additionally enjoyed driving America’s back roads with his family, constantly in search of the perfect fried chicken and barbecued ribs.

Later in life, Dr. Berkman persevered through health challenges, including complications related to a congenital heart defect and severe chronic Willis-Ekbom disease, commonly known as Restless Legs Syndrome.

Predeceased by parents Henry and Marion Berkman and brother Richard “Dick” Berkman, Dr. Berkman is survived by his wife of 50 years, Claire Fleet Berkman, son Eric (Brett) Berkman of Framingham, Massachusetts, son Joshua (Robin) Berkman of Scotch Plains, New Jersey, daughter Janna (George) Schwartz of Swampscott, Massachusetts and stepson Micah (Ksenia) Siegel of Palo Alto, California. He is also survived by grandchildren Ethan Berkman, Daniel Siegel, Max Berkman, Sofia Berkman, Mariana Siegel, Hannah Schwartz, Rebecca Berkman and Vivian Schwartz. He was also a beloved uncle to numerous nieces and nephews.

The funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, April 24, 2026, at the Estes-Leadley Greater Lansing Chapel, 325 W. Washtenaw St., Lansing. Interment will follow in Evergreen Cemetery, Lansing. A livestream of the service will be held.

In lieu of flowers, please consider contributing in his name to the Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Foundation, Congregation Kehillat Israel or a charity of your choice.