On July 17, 2017 Norman Hering, LMFT (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist) joined the Novato Youth Center as the Director of Mental Health Programs. Norman has worked in the mental health industry for 30+ years, and has experience working with youth, families and refugees. He believes that working with the entire family system is critical to the success of families.
Beginning in 1986, Norman worked at Edgewood Children’s Residential Treatment Center for severely emotionally disturbed children in San Francisco. It was here that he discovered his love and passion for helping children and their families. After receiving his Master of Science in Counseling, Marriage and Family Therapy at San Francisco State University, Norman has been a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist since 1994. He went on to have his own Psychotherapy practice while continuing work in the public sector with low-income and under-served children and families for the Fred Finch Youth Center school and community based services. From 2001-2015, Norman oversaw mental health and other programs with organizations such as North Bay Recovery Center, Telecare Corp, East Bay Agency for Children (school-based), and Oakes Children’s Center.
Norman lived oversees from 2015-2017, starting in the Netherlands to pursue licensure as a Psychologist and work on his doctoral dissertation in Clinical and Organization Psychology. Over the next two years, he dedicated his time as a volunteer with the Dutch charity, Aid Caravan to Greece and worked with refugees in Athens, Greece through Pamperaiki, a Greek solidarity group. Norman then served as a Program Director for CAMPFIRE Innovation, a media platform that helps connect, research and showcase Smart Aid projects in the refugee crisis. Now a Marin County resident, Norman is overseeing the mental health services at the Novato Youth Center.
The Novato Youth Center offers counseling services at the Novato Youth Center Clinic (680 Wilson Avenue), at the Novato Teen Clinic (https://www.novatoyouthcenter.org/novato-teen-clinic/), and on Novato Unified School District school campuses. To learn more about mental health services available, visit https://www.novatoyouthcenter.org/youth-and-family-counseling-2/.
