Linda J. Shapiro's Obituary
We are so sorry to announce that Linda Shapiro MFT, died on April 12 from complications from lung cancer. She is survived by her partner of 53 years, Allen Romano and her son Alex Shapiro-Romano. Linda was 77.
Linda was culturally a New York Ashkenazi Jewish woman raised in a secular family in the 1950s. When she was in kindergarten, she felt bad not to have a religion so her mother told her that their religion was living by the golden rule of treating others the way you would want to be treated, which perfectly satisfied her and guided her throughout her life. Both Linda’s parents were very politically astute and inclusive, which gave her a solid basis of support for her interest in and support for others.
As a Manhattanite, Linda was always perfectly attired with chunky jewelry to match.
In addition to having a life long interest in fashion she was an ardent movie lover, a real foodie, which she inherited from her parents, who loved eating out, enjoyed the theater, was an avid reader, and she and her partner Allen were art lovers and collectors. She traveled to New York regularly to visit with her large family, to whom she was very attached.
She graduated from The High School Of Music And Art in 1964. Obtained her BA in Psychology from John F. Kennedy University in Orinda CA in 1977. She received her CA MFCC License in 1984.
Allen Romano is a General Contractor in Berkeley CA
Her son Alex is an excellent musician, a drummer and keyboard player, a composer, and a graduate of The California Jazz Conservatory.
Her father Norman was a long time executive at Kenner toys, and is credited with having invented the Easy Bake oven. He was also instrumental in securing the Star Wars toy contract for Kenner Toys.
Her mother Gertrude was a long time employee at The United Federation Of Teachers in New York, and was a life long political activist.
A long time Women’s Therapy Center supervisor, teacher and board member Linda joined the WTC Board at a perilous time for the organization in the late 1990s and was central in turning WTC into a membership organization. Several years later, she began supervising and teaching. Linda supervised dozens of people and taught hundreds of people in her classes. Linda was also a mentor to many beginning supervisors. She was always a strong advocate for her supervisees and for the organization doing its work in the service of diversity and equity. As those who worked with her remember, Linda was a force to be reckoned with. She was passionate about intertwining social justice and relational psychotherapy. She had a natural curiosity about people and had an amazing ability to remember the details of people’s lives.
As a Licensed Marriage and Family therapist, Linda’s professional world encompassed a thriving, decades long private practice, while also volunteering literally thousands of hours to The Psychotherapy Institute, another non-profit to which Linda was devoted. As a much beloved supervisor, teacher, and active committee member and Chair, Linda shared not only her clinical expertise, but her wisdom and organizational guidance. She was a committed ally and educator of social justice, taking leadership roles in promoting anti-racist institutional policies and programs. And while Linda will certainly be remembered for her socio-cultural advocacy, perhaps her most personal impact will be for the kind, warm and clinically astute relationships she developed with her supervisees and her many colleagues who miss her.
There will be a memorial service at a later time, and when the family chooses a date, we will reach out again.
May she rest in loving peace.
What’s your fondest memory of Linda?
What’s a lesson you learned from Linda?
Share a story where Linda's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Linda you’ll never forget.
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