Reena Bernards, LGMFT

Ms. Bernards joined the practice of Jonah Green and Associates in 2008. She worked for many years as a group process consultant and diversity trainer before receiving her Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy at the University of Maryland. She has worked as a therapist at the University of Maryland Center for Healthy Families, the Wendt Center for Loss and Healing and the YMCA Silver Spring Youth Services.

Ms. Bernards provides therapy for children, adolescents, families and individual adults that assists them in reaching their life goals. She works with couples who are interested in strengthening their relationship, and with families who experience life stressors. She works with children who face a wide variety of emotional and behavioral challenges and with adjustment issues related to school, divorce and other challenges.

Treatment Orientation

Ms Bernards approaches therapy from the perspective of building on the strengths of the individual and creating a supportive environment for change within the family. She was trained in a wide variety of therapy models including Structural Family Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Client-centered and Filial Play Therapy, Emotionally-focused Couples Therapy and Narrative Therapy. She fits the therapeutic model to the needs of each individual client and family.

Ms. Bernards works flexibly in combining work with the family as a whole, and separates individual sessions with the child or teen. She believes that families can greatly enhance the progress made by their children by increasing healthy communication and engaging in the therapeutic process together.

Particular Areas of Interest

Ms. Bernards is particularly interested in helping families with life transitions, such as adoption, divorce, becoming a step-family, and leaving home. She has a keen interest in the many aspects of culture and how it affects families, and has worked with immigrant, multi-cultural and multi-racial families.

She is a supervisor for other therapists, and a workshop leader for a variety of organizations.

Additional Education

Ms. Bernards received a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government, and a Bachelor of Arts from Brandeis University. Ms. Bernards is also certified in play therapy and mediation


Reena's Blog Postings

• Support for Stay-at-Home Dads
• Positive Language About Adoption
• Talking With Kids About Diversity: Helping Children to Thrive in a Multicultural World

Contact Information

    Telephone: 301-367-6480
    Email: reena@his.com
    Address: 3930 Knowles Avenue, Suite 200, Kensington MD 20895