Tharp has a Ph.D. in psychology which he has received from the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center in 1975.

He is also a certified Master Practitioner of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), a Certified Master Time Line Therapist, a certified Modeler of NLP, and an Assistant Trainer of NLP.

Dr. Van K. Tharp is the founder and president of the Van Tharp Institute and stands out as an internationally recognised specialist among professional trading coaches and consultants. Since 1982 Tharp considered his mission helping others become a better trader or investor that they can be.

Tharp collected more than 5,000 successful trading profiles in a 10-year study of individual traders and investors, including many of the top traders and investors in the world. From these studies he developed a model for advanced trading and investing that other people can adopt and learn. He also developed The Investment Psychology Inventory Profile to help people better understand their strengths and weaknesses in relation to trading or investing and has produced a number of home study courses.

His original learning strategies and techniques for producing successful traders are considered by some to be the most effective in the field. Over the years Tharp has helped people overcome problems in areas of system development and trading psychology and success-related issues such as self-sabotage.

He is a regular contributor on the TraderPlanet.com financial social network

Outside of trading, Tharp, who now lives in North Carolina, has a strong interest in spiritual studies, is an avid stamp and art collector and is an active supporter of the Green Bay Packers. He is also a movie buff, loves going to theatrical productions and shows and is a fan of music and dancing (everything from ballroom to the disco dance floor).

He has a son, Robert, from his first marriage and has been married to his wife Kala for 12 years. Her niece, Nanthini, from Malaysia lives with them and is, in his words, "like a daughter" who they have recently put through college.