Bret is a licensed mental health counselor in private practice in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He holds a master’s degree in mental health counseling from Lesley University and has completed advanced training through the Institute of Existential-Psychoanalytic Therapy, including a year-long introduction to existential-psychoanalytic work and a two-year seminar on Martin Heidegger’s Being and Time. He continues to participate in ongoing philosophical and psychotherapeutic study groups in the greater Boston area.

Before entering private practice, Bret worked in a range of clinical settings, including inpatient and outpatient psychiatric facilities, college counseling centers, and the Massachusetts Department of Corrections. These experiences inform his work with adults and emerging adults who bring a wide range of concerns, questions, and life circumstances into therapy.

At the center of Bret’s work is an interest in how people make sense of their lives—particularly during periods of transition, uncertainty, or psychological distress. Outside the therapy room, he finds meaning in reading, writing, and teaching at the intersection of psychotherapy, philosophy, and emerging technologies. His first book length publication Holding and Holding Back: The Use of AI in the Relational Psychotherapies is available here.

Bret is best reached by email at bretschermerhornlmhc@gmail.com.