--- title: "About Fanshen Thompson, LCSW | Berkeley Therapist" description: "Meet Fanshen Thompson, LCSW — a Berkeley relationship and sex therapist helping California couples and individuals reconnect and rebuild." lang: en json-ld: | [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": [ "ProfessionalService", "MedicalBusiness", "MedicalClinic" ], "@id": "https://fanshenthompson.com/#business", "name": "Fanshen Thompson, LCSW", "url": "https://fanshenthompson.com", "logo": "https://fanshenthompson.com/og.jpg", "image": "https://fanshenthompson.com/og.jpg", "email": "fanshen@fanshenthompson.com", "priceRange": "$$$", "medicalSpecialty": "Mental Health", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "addressLocality": "Berkeley", "addressRegion": "CA", "addressCountry": "US" }, "areaServed": { "@type": "State", "name": "California" }, "contactPoint": { "@type": "ContactPoint", "contactType": "customer service", "email": "fanshen@fanshenthompson.com" }, "founder": { "@id": "https://fanshenthompson.com/#practitioner" }, "employee": { "@id": "https://fanshenthompson.com/#practitioner" }, "openingHoursSpecification": [ { "@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification", "dayOfWeek": [ "Tuesday", "Wednesday", "Thursday", "Friday" ], "opens": "09:00", "closes": "18:00" } ], "sameAs": [ "https://www.linkedin.com/in/fanshen-thompson-lcsw-672425216/", "https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086164215212", "https://pin.it/5enxDfD" ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://fanshenthompson.com/#practitioner", "name": "Fanshen Thompson", "honorificSuffix": "LCSW", "jobTitle": "Licensed Clinical Social Worker", "url": "https://fanshenthompson.com", "image": "https://fanshenthompson.com/og.jpg", "email": "fanshen@fanshenthompson.com", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "addressLocality": "Berkeley", "addressRegion": "CA", "addressCountry": "US" }, "worksFor": { "@id": "https://fanshenthompson.com/#business" }, "hasCredential": [ { "@type": "EducationalOccupationalCredential", "credentialCategory": "License", "identifier": "LCSW #25004", "recognizedBy": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "California Board of Behavioral Sciences" } } ], "knowsAbout": [ "Couples Therapy", "Relationship Therapy", "Sex Therapy", "Individual Therapy", "Intimacy", "Communication", "Attachment", "Sexual Shame", "Desire Discrepancy" ], "sameAs": [ "https://www.linkedin.com/in/fanshen-thompson-lcsw-672425216/", "https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086164215212", "https://pin.it/5enxDfD" ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://fanshenthompson.com/#website", "url": "https://fanshenthompson.com", "name": "Fanshen Thompson, LCSW", "publisher": { "@id": "https://fanshenthompson.com/#business" } }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://fanshenthompson.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "About", "item": "https://fanshenthompson.com/about" } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://fanshenthompson.com/about#person", "name": "Fanshen Thompson", "honorificSuffix": "LCSW", "jobTitle": "Licensed Clinical Social Worker", "image": "https://fanshenthompson.com/og.jpg", "url": "https://fanshenthompson.com/about", "worksFor": { "@id": "https://fanshenthompson.com/#organization" }, "knowsAbout": [ "Couples Therapy", "Sex Therapy", "Intimacy and Relationship Counseling", "Individual Psychotherapy" ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://fanshenthompson.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "About", "item": "https://fanshenthompson.com/about" } ] } ] --- [![Fanshen Thompson, LCSW](/assets/logo-mark-DCWEUPFA.png)Fanshen Thompson LCSW ](/) [Home](/)[About](/about) Services Specialties [Approach](/approach/gottman-method)[Notes](/blog)[FAQ](/faq)[Resources](/resources) [Book a Free 20-Minute Consultation](/contact) About # About _Fanshen Thompson, LCSW_ A Berkeley-based relationship and sex therapist helping California couples and individuals move out of disconnection and into real, lasting change. ![Fanshen Thompson, LCSW, seated in a chair against a deep teal background, wearing a brown jacket and blue jeans.](/assets/seated-full-wSevhgUj.jpg) I work with couples of all kinds — married, dating, partnered, polyamorous, LGBTQ, straight — and with individuals who want to do this work on their own. Whatever shape your relationship takes, what matters here is that you want it to feel different. You are here because something in your relationship isn't working well right now. Perhaps it's subtle, perhaps it's urgent. Either way, I encourage you to trust yourself, trust that you're here now for a reason, and **take that next step and reach out now.** [Reach Out Now →](/contact) > I bring a grounded, compassionate presence to this process — supporting honest conversations and the kind of change that actually holds. ![Fanshen Thompson leaning against a white brick wall near a tall window, wearing a rust-colored sweater.](/assets/brick-window-CRuZknL-.jpg) My approach ## Honest, warm, and rooted in what actually works. What's important to you is that you do not waste your time or money and that you work with a therapist who actually helps you make lasting change. That is what you will find here. The approach may or may not matter to you, but in case it interests you, here are some ways my work is informed: I am a certified Gottman trained couples therapist and draw from Emotionally Focused Therapy, Internal Family Systems, attachment theory, and somatic practices. But more than any single modality, I bring myself: a real human who has done — and continues to do — this work. I believe lasting change comes from honesty. From being willing to look at what's underneath the conflict. From practicing new ways of relating until they become natural. That's the work we'll do together. Credentials - Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW #25004), California - Masters in Social Work, San Francisco State University - Advanced training in Attachment Theory, Somatic and Cognitive Behavioral Therapies, Sex Therapy, and Somatic Coaching - Assessing and Treating Sex Issues in Psychotherapy — Level 1, Institute for Relational Intimacy with Martha Kauppi (2026). [![Assessing and Treating Sex Issues in Psychotherapy — Level 1](https://kajabi-storefronts-production.kajabi-cdn.com/kajabi-storefronts-production/file-uploads/themes/2161523755/settings_images/5704221-e717-1d14-14a3-2ab33e1514db_ATSIP_Level_1_Badge.png)](https://www.instituteforrelationalintimacy.com/) Advanced training in the school of life. A glimpse ## The feeling of this work. Quiet, grounded, and honest. A few visual anchors of what our space together feels like. ![A couple sitting close on a couch in warm afternoon light, looking at each other with gentle smiles.](/assets/editorial-1-CUS3dkRV.jpg) ![Two people wrapped in striped and mustard-colored blankets, standing close together by a lake.](/assets/editorial-4-D0znZ1bL.jpg) ![A person with long dark hair and an orange sweater, holding their face in their hands in a moment of distress.](/assets/editorial-2-DitgELCh.jpg) ![A Black couple sitting on a bed in a bright room, with one partner comforting the other.](/assets/editorial-3-JPi468d6.jpg) ![Two people holding sparklers close together at twilight, surrounded by trees.](/assets/editorial-6-CkCOQxfH.jpg) ![An open hand reaching toward a low sunset over a calm ocean.](/assets/editorial-7-BmHnaSP6.jpg) What clients say > In this work, I've watched couples move from circling the same pain to finding language for what was underneath all along — and I've watched individuals come home to themselves in ways that change everything else. — Fanshen Thompson, LCSW Begin ## Let's start with a free conversation. A 20-minute consultation so we can see if we're a fit — and so you can get a feel for how I work. [Book a Free 20-Minute Consultation](/contact) ![Fanshen Thompson, LCSW logo](/assets/logo-mark-DCWEUPFA.png) Relationship therapy for people who are ready for real change. Licensed Clinical Social Worker · LCSW #25004 [](https://www.psychologytoday.com/profile/971893) Affiliations ![Gesher Community Care affiliate provider](/__l5e/assets-v1/7e4684e6-648d-48d4-892e-5c8678e89c88/gesher-community-care.png) Online Therapy Sessions held via secure video for clients across California. Hours Tue–Fri, 9am–6pm PT Contact [fanshen@fanshenthompson.com](mailto:fanshen@fanshenthompson.com)[Book a Free 20-Minute Consultation](/contact) [](https://www.linkedin.com/in/fanshen-thompson-lcsw-672425216/)[](https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086164215212)[](https://pin.it/5enxDfD) Explore - [About](/about) - [Therapy](/therapy) - [Therapy for Couples](/therapy/couples) - [Therapy for Individuals](/therapy/individuals) - [Sex Therapy](/therapy/sex-therapy) - [Coaching](/coaching) - [Notes](/blog) - [FAQ](/faq) - [Resources](/resources) - [Relationship Therapy in Berkeley](/relationship-therapy-berkeley) - [Find an Online Sex Therapist](/how-to-find-an-online-sex-therapist) - [Contact](/contact) Specialties - [Infidelity & Affair Recovery](/specialties/infidelity-affair-recovery) - [Desire Discrepancy](/specialties/desire-discrepancy) - [Sexual Shame](/specialties/sexual-shame) - [Communication Breakdown](/specialties/communication-breakdown) - [Anxious Attachment](/specialties/anxious-attachment-couples) - [Parenting Conflict](/specialties/parenting-conflict) In crisis? If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call or text [988](tel:988) (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or call [911](tel:911). This site is not a substitute for emergency care. [Privacy](/privacy.html)[Terms](/terms.html)[Cookies](/cookie.html)[Disclosures](/disclaimers.html)[Good Faith Estimate](/good-faith-estimate.html)[Accessibility](/accessibility)[Cookie Settings](/cookie.html) Contacting this practice does not establish a therapist–client relationship. Individual outcomes vary. Nothing on this site guarantees a specific clinical result. © 2026 Fanshen Thompson, LCSW. All rights reserved. Photography by Allison Busch Website by [Automaus.ai](https://automaus.ai) Your privacy matters Functional cookies are required. Analytics and marketing cookies are off by default — you choose. 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