Francis Novak (he/him) is a Psychoanalyst, Psychotherapist and Musician in private practice in Manhattan. He is a Professor at the Institute for Expressive Analysis teaching Psychoanalytic Theory and Practice in the Licensure Qualifying Program in Psychoanalysis. He trained at the Manhattan Institute for Psychoanalysis and completed his Doctor of Psychoanalytic Studies (DPsa) Degree at the Parkmore Institute. A graduate of the University of Michigan (BA; BM) and New York University (MSW), Dr. Novak is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Certified Psychoanalyst. Prior to private practice full time, he practiced in community mental health settings across New York City for over a decade including as a Clinical Supervisor.

Dr. Novak published a short essay titled "Seeing Is All the Rage" in the journal Psychoanalytic Perspectives (2023), and is preparing for his doctoral project titled “Queering Up Psychoanalysis – An Integrative Model with the Power to Meet the Moment” to soon be published in the journal Psychoanalytic Inquiry. His paper proposes a "theory of everything" by unifying the "four fundamental parts of the human psyche." He names this four self-states theory "The Golden Girls Theory" after the television series and traces the four archetypes back to Hippocrates and Galen. Queer Theory and Jung's theories of the existence of universal archetypes and the collective unconscious are linked to the model. He gives four clinical examples of four self-states demonstrating the use of this theoretical model to integrate "the four primary self-states". Dr. Novak is eager to continue exploring all of the many intersections between the creative arts and psychoanalytic practice.

As a classically trained professional musician, he is the Principal Clarinetist of the Queer Urban Orchestra for which he is a founding member. He also toured 13 cities in China twice as a Clarinetist with the Manhattan Symphonie, he was the Assistant Conductor of the Queer Big Apple Corps Symphonic Band, and was the Youth Orchestra Director at the Turtle Bay Music School. He continues to enjoy a fulfilling musical career and loves the emphasis on human expression in all of its various creative forms that is at the heart of his professional practice. He can be heard on a recently released Albany Records album, James Ader's "That Star in the Picture", performing "Pie Jesu" with Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Victoria Livengood.