Life & Work with Shari Foos

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shari Foos.

Hi Shari, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers. 
Shari Foos, MA, MFT; MS 

I was born into a dysfunctional home in New Jersey and was a teenager in the late 60’s. Although I never felt a part of the mainstream, I discovered my voice early, writing poetry and living on Rock and Roll. Most of my friends were musicians, and although I nearly failed high school, we educated ourselves at every club and venue in New York City. At Stockton University near Atlantic City, where I was a theatre and dance major, my life turned on a dime. During rehearsals for Summer Stock, I had the opportunity to be an extra in a Hollywood movie. Although I was unrecognizable in a bus speeding by the camera at 40 mph, I was hooked. And when an A.D. (whatever that was!) gave me his card, I quit school and moved to Los Angeles, where I began a circuitous route from show business to psychotherapy. 

Shari Foos is the founder of The Narrative Method, an award-winning 501C3 that addresses the crisis of loneliness. Now in its 10th year, TNM offers numerous online groups and provides ongoing programs for underserved communities, including veterans, youth in crisis, and mature adults. 

Ms. Foos is a Marriage and Family Therapist licensed in California and New York. She earned an MS in Narrative Medicine from Columbia University (2012) and her MA in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University Los Angeles (1997), where she founded BRIDGE in 1999, a free humanities program for low-income adults, and where she is also an adjunct professor. She is the recipient of the New Directions for Veterans Community Hero Award (2015) and The Antioch University Los Angeles Lifetime Achievement Award (2016). Ms. Foos serves on the board of the City Kids Foundation. She has served as a judge for the Gold Humanism in Medicine Essay since 2014 and is a board member of City Kids Foundation. Prior to becoming a psychotherapist, Shari was a television writer, punk-rock singer, and the creator of cutting-edge salons and events. 

As a sought-after expert on the subjects of relationships, loneliness, and meaningful connection, Foos’ writing and commentary have appeared in a range of online and print publications and podcasts, including Real Simple, Huffington Post, Women’s Health, KBLA, Fatherly, Thrive Global, Shondaland, The LA Weekly, Sparks & Honey Culture Briefings, Body Green, Sondership and Bustle. 

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The biggest obstacle was overcoming my fears and the defenses that did anything but protect me. It took my entire life to understand and deconstruct who I really am and through my work as a psychotherapist and the concepts and methodology of The Narrative Method, I have been able to inspire others through sharing my vulnerability. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Prior to becoming a therapist, I was a performing artist and writer, working as an actor, comedian, improvisational artist, TV writer, segment producer, and voice talent on network radio and host of hundreds of live salons. My bands recorded and played live shows, and there were occasional small parts in films. I also held creative jobs assisting writers, warming up TV audiences, and working in development. I cobbled crazy ideas into businesses, like “Ear Snacks,” plastic earrings that were a hit in the late 70s. And, of course, like most artists, I supported those habits as a legal secretary and videographer. 

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I was a song writer and punk rock singer in the late 70’s/early 80’s. Our raucous band, Roid Rogers & The Whirling Butt Cherries, headline an extravaganza at The Kit Kat Club in Hollywood, where The Red Hot Chili Peppers played their first gig, opening for us. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thenarrativemethod.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenarrativemethod/