About Me

Shari Grande, LCSW, Certified ADHD and Parent Coach®

I love the work I do and feel honored to do it.

“You are imperfect, you are wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and belonging.” ― Brené Brown

On the Record: I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in private practice in CA. I am passionate about supporting adults through times of life transitions. I am experienced in assisting and advocating for people as they embrace the person they were born to be and navigate life challenges, including depression or anxiety.

Working from a holistic approach, I strive to help my clients become more self-aware, nourish their strengths, and form authentic connections between themselves and others.

My clinical style is straightforward and practical, anchored in the reality of everyday life. I have developed the capacity to approach complex issues with simplicity and have learned to honor strength without minimizing suffering.

My Truth: I believe that you have to walk through vulnerability to get to courage, and that means that you have to embrace life’s challenges. I am from New Jersey and although I have lived in California longer than NJ, I am without a shadow of a doubt an old school, no nonsense east coast woman. I believe in being real and authentic and have gone on my own healing path, I understand how much courage it takes to do the work. I am not perfect not even close. I laugh, cry and swear (sometimes at the same time). I absolutely believe every one of us is, at our core, lovable.

My greatest accomplishment is being married to Vinnie for over 20 years and together raising two amazing sons, and one goofy Golden Retriever.

I can provide relief where others could not: My therapeutic approach is focused on creating change which allows me to help clients who may not have been helped by other therapeutic approaches. I support my clients by utilizing a strong therapeutic relationship combined with an eclectic use of modalities tailored to the individual including but not limited to:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
Solution-Focused Therapy

I love the work I do and feel honored to do it.

Official Bio

I received my Master of Social Work from the University of Southern California and am licensed in the state of California (LCSW87309). I have spent the past two decades working in various health care and mental health facilities including: Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Alta Bates Comprehensive Cancer Center, El Camino Hospital, DaVita Dialysis and Private Practice. The privilege of being present with my clients who are facing personal crises continues to serve as my daily lesson in humility, empathy and compassion.

Each of these experiences provided me the opportunity to work with diverse populations of individuals (teen-elderly adults) and their families.

In addition to my professional training and experience, I am a working mother of two amazing young men who are wired differently than I.

I view therapy as an interactive and collaborative effort. My therapy practice offers a safe and nonjudgmental environment where individuals or couples are free to explore and express their feelings. I offer a source of support, guidance and compassion as you explore new ways to manage your depression, anxiety, perfectionism, ADHD, life transitions, grief, parenting and/or marital issues.

Professional Experience: Clients for whom I am best matched are those seeking direct, empathic and insightful feedback. I am not afraid to tell people what they may have been afraid to hear or admit to themselves. I do not believe in dragging out treatment and prefer to make the most out of each session. Believe it or not, my goal is for my clients to no longer need therapy.

I am confident that together, we can create lasting change by transforming pain through a combination of skill-building, education, connecting to values, fostering awareness and feelings. I tell my clients we need to “Name it to Tame it.”

Specialties: Life Transitions, Anxiety, Depression, Adult ADHD, Perfectionism, Parenting Issues, Codependency, Grief, Food Weight and Body Image Issues, School Issues, Learning Differences, Neurodiversity, Stress Management, Workplace Difficulties, Couples Therapy and Addiction.

My clinical focus is on life transitional issues. Life is ever-changing, sometimes these fluctuations lead to anxiety, disorientation or challenges. What transitions do people come to therapy for? Most recently COVID-19 has provided quite a bit of change for us all, confronting racial inequities and BLM, concern surrounding the future both personally and societally, the list is endless. I am passionate about supporting people when they feel their life has presented them with a fork in the road and are feeling stuck.

My Story: Social work enticed me from a young age. I was drawn to people who shared their stories freely. I found I was able to learn about them and their unique perspectives. I wanted to become a therapist but was apprehensive because I didn’t think I was a good enough student to obtain a master’s degree. But I took the leap and during my MSW program, I realized I enjoyed school and learning.

I have struggled with perfectionism, codependence, and finding my voice.

I was presented with one of the most profound challenges of my life when my oldest son was diagnosed with autism. I mourned the dream of the child I had expected, my husband and I struggled to become the parents he needed us to be.

Our partnership also faltered. We sought counseling which allowed us the safety to speak our truth and be heard. It was hard and painful yet loving and renewing and allowed us to reconnect. Through my own experience, I understand the importance of working on myself so I may be a better wife, mother, daughter and most importantly my best self.

Get to know Shari

Therapy with me is about helping my clients identify and rely upon their strengths in order to make choices and changes that will give their life more meaning and vitality. I use a holistic, strength-based perspective, to allow my clients hold compassion for the person they are now. I believe in the wisdom of my grandmother’s words, “be kind to yourself first THEN you will be able to be kind to those around you.”

Social work enticed me from a young age. I was drawn to people who shared their stories freely. I found I was able to learn about them and their unique perspectives. I wanted to become a therapist but was apprehensive because I didn’t think I was a good enough student to obtain a master’s degree. But I took the leap and during my MSW program I realized I enjoyed school and learning.

I have struggled with perfectionism, codependence, and finding my voice. I was presented with one of the most profound challenges of my life when my oldest son was diagnosed with autism. I mourned the dream of the child I had expected, my husband and I struggled to become the parents he needed us to be. Our partnership also faltered. We sought counseling which allowed us the safety to speak our truth and be heard. It was hard and painful yet loving and renewing and allowed us to reconnect. Through my own experience, I understand the importance of working on myself so I may be a better wife, mother, daughter and most importantly my best self.

I believe that seeking help is a sign of courage and strength. Striving to let go of suffering is courageous. Of course, many of our friends and family can be a great source of support, but they are not trained therapists nor are they unbiased.

It is possible to feel better.

I want my clients to know they have the capability to love and accept themselves, in this moment as they are now. Too often we become our labels (the good girl, the smart one, the anxious one, learning challenged, gifted, depressed, etc.). We are not our labels; I believe every single person has strengths and gifts as well as areas to work on. Too often I hear clients say, “I am (insert label)” they start to lose their identity to a label, or a diagnosis, and lose sight of their true self.