Teri Quatman was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. She received a B.A. from Occidental College in 1972, and a California secondary teaching credential from California State University, Los Angeles in 1974. Having taught high school for five years, she completed two master's degrees at Loyola Marymount University, one in Counseling and Guidance, the second in Educational Psychology, and credential programs in school counseling, school psychology, and administrative services. After serving as a school psychologist and counselor for four years, she pursued and completed an M.A. in Psychology and a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology at Stanford University in 1990. She was licensed as a Clinical Psychologist in 1992.
In addition to her teaching and administrative pursuits at Santa Clara University, she has authored two books on clinical theory and practice: Essential Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: An Acquired Art (2015) and Accessing the Clinical Genius of Winnicott (2020). She also maintains a limited private practice in San Jose, specializing in psychodynamic psychotherapy. During breaks, she enjoys spending time on the Sonoma coast.