Shannon Freud, MSW, RSW

I identify strongly with the LGBTQ+ community, being a Queer Jewish cis woman in my 40s, living in a big city. While I feel the therapy career chose ME, I love my job, because I love to learn about people, get to know them, and help them get to know themselves better. Through therapy, I hope to give back to all of the communities to which I belong. I resonate with the idea that I want to be the kind of person I needed when I was growing up.

Therapy is a collaborative process, in which you, as the client, learn about yourself, process your experiences, and look towards how you can move towards the life you want to live. No one has spent the amount of time you’ve spent with yourself, so you’re the expert on your experience, solutions, boundaries, and what feels comfortable, or best for you. I come with questions to get you thinking about things in a different way, or how to understand your situation.

Specific services I aim to provide to the LGBTQ+ community is to support family members to come to terms with their child, sibling, parent, or other family member’s sexual and/or gender identity. I come from a place of understanding and curiosity, and I aim to help those close to them to digest their experiences, look a their own biases, and make sense of how to move forward, and continue to support their family member.