Shannon Farrand-Bernardin, LCSW

My practice of therapy begins by building a caring and empathetic relationship with clients, in which they feel valued and understood. I incorporate curiosity, compassion, and in moments, a sense of humor into my work.

I offer support to couples, family and individual clients from young adult to older age. In couples work, my specialties include assisting partners in strengthening their relationship during significant life transitions, such as new parenthood and midlife. I also have many years of professional experience in college settings, and am skilled in supporting emergent adults through academic stress and anxiety, perfectionism, exploration of identity and gender development, and histories of trauma and family abuse. I also specialize in pregnancy and the postpartum period, sexual and interpersonal violence, women’s midlife experiences, gender transitions within family settings, and grief. I am faith literate and adept in supporting clients who wish to explore spirituality and religion, or to seek healing from religious trauma.

My practice is informed by attachment theory, psychodynamic theory, Relational-Cultural Theory, feminist and womanist theories, and queer theory, and I draw from evidence-based and trauma-informed approaches such as Narrative Therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. In couples work I utilize the Developmental Model, which focuses on predictable developmental growth stages that relationships pass through, and recognizes challenges as opportunities for individual growth and relational connection.

In addition to a Masters in Social Work in Advanced Clinical Practice from Columbia University School of Social Work, I hold a BA from New York University in Romance Language and Gender & Sexuality Studies, an MDiv in Pastoral Psychology from Luther Seminary, and an MA in Social Ethics and Theology, with a focus on women and public health care, from Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York.

I am licensed as an LCSW in Massachusetts, and an LMSW in New York and Connecticut.