# Michael Shernoff

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**Michael Shernoff** (March 31, 1951 – June 17, 2008) was an American [openly gay](/source/Openly_gay) [psychotherapist](/source/Psychotherapist) who specialized in serving the [mental health](/source/Mental_health) needs of [gay](/source/Homosexuality), [lesbian](/source/Lesbian), and [bisexual](/source/Bisexual) people and was [author](/source/Author) of several influential publications on the topics of [HIV/AIDS](/source/HIV/AIDS) prevention and the mental health concerns of gay men.[1]

## Biography

Shernoff was born in [Queens, New York](/source/Queens,_New_York), on March 31, 1951. He attended [New York City](/source/New_York_City) schools. He graduated from the [Harpur College](/source/Binghamton_University) at [Binghamton University](/source/Binghamton_University) and in 1977 received a [master's degree](/source/Master's_degree) in [social work](/source/Social_work) from the School of Social Welfare of the [State University of New York at Stony Brook](/source/State_University_of_New_York_at_Stony_Brook).[1][2]

As a [licensed clinical social worker](/source/List_of_credentials_in_psychology), he offered [outpatient](/source/Outpatient) mental health services in [Chelsea](/source/Chelsea,_Manhattan) in [New York City](/source/New_York_City). He also taught at [Hunter College](/source/Hunter_College) from 1991 to 2001, and from 2002 until his retirement in 2006 he served on the faculty of the [Columbia University](/source/Columbia_University) School of Social Work.[1][2][3] From 1997 until 2004 he was the online mental health expert for the HIV/AIDS [website](/source/Website) TheBody.com.[1][2][4]

He was diagnosed as [HIV](/source/HIV)-positive in 1982, but lived free of AIDS symptoms. At the time of his death from [pancreatic cancer](/source/Pancreatic_cancer) in [Manhattan](/source/Manhattan) in June 2008, his brother Jeffrey Shernoff told *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)* that he found it ironic that after years of living with HIV infection, "He died of pancreatic cancer, which may not even be related."[1]

## Professional contributions

Shernoff was an early volunteer for [Gay Men's Health Crisis](/source/Gay_Men's_Health_Crisis) and became one of the first social workers in the [United States](/source/United_States) to address AIDS in a private psychotherapy practice.[3] He wrote many articles and offered training for both mental health professionals and patients on dealing with mental health aspects of [gay sexuality](/source/Homosexuality) and living with HIV and AIDS. In 1985 he and Luis Palacios-Jiménez created the workshop "Hot, Horny and Healthy: Eroticizing Gay Sex" for a Gay Men's Health Crisis conference. The workshop, intended to teach gay men how to continue to engage in sexual activity without risking HIV transmission, was eventually presented in cities across [North America](/source/North_America).[1] A pamphlet that he co-authored, *When a Friend Has AIDS*,[5] was translated into eight languages.[3]

Shernoff produced, following the AIDS death of a partner, an [anthology](/source/Anthology) entitled *Gay Widowers: Life after the Death of a Partner*[1] that ten years later was described as still being the only book to address the specific challenges of [grief](/source/Grief) for gay men having lost their partners.[3]

## Bibliography

### Books

- Michael Shernoff and William Scott, editors, *The Sourcebook on Lesbian/Gay Health Care*, published by The National Lesbian/Gay Health Foundation, Washington, D.C., 1988, 425 pages, ISBN 978-0-9621128-0-5
- Michael Shernoff, editor, *Counseling Chemically Dependent People With HIV Illness*, published by Harrington Park Press, Binghamton, N.Y., 1992, ISBN 978-1-56023-016-8
- Walt Odets and Michael Shernoff, editors, *Second Decade of Aids: A Mental Health Practice Handbook*, Hatherleigh Press, 1995, 320 pages, ISBN 978-1-886330-00-9
- Michael Shernoff, editor, *Human Services for Gay People*, Taylor & Francis, Inc., 1996, 138 pages, ISBN 978-1-56024-754-8
- Michael Shernoff, editor, *Gay Widowers: Life after the Death of a Partner*, Haworth Press, 1997, 161 pages, ISBN 978-1-56023-105-9
- Michael Shernoff, editor, *AIDS and Mental Health Practice: Clinical and Policy Issues*, Taylor & Francis, Inc., 1999, 381 pages, ISBN 978-0-7890-0464-2
- Michael Shernoff and Raymond Smith, *HIV Treatment: Mental Health Aspects of Antiviral Therapy*, published by University of California San Francisco AIDS Health Project, 2000, ISBN 978-1-879168-04-6
- Michael Shernoff, *Without Condoms: Unprotected Sex, Gay Men and [Barebacking](/source/Bareback_(sex))*, published by Routledge, 2005, 371 pages, ISBN 978-0-415-95024-4

### Articles

- Stephan L. Buckingham and Michael Shernoff, [Psychosocial Interventions in Persons with HIV-Associated Neuropsychiatric Compromise](http://www.thebody.com/content/art2473.html), In: *A Mental Health Practitioner's Guide to the Neuropsychiatric Complications of HIV/AIDS*, Guilford Publications; W. Van Gorp & S. Buckingham (Eds.), 1998
- Michael Shernoff, [AIDS: The Therapist's Journey](http://www.thebody.com/content/art2468.html), in *A Perilous Calling: The Hazards of Psychotherapy Practice*, M. Sussman, Editor, 1994: John Wiley & Sons
- Michael Shernoff, [Waiting for the Second Wave of Queer Psychotherapy](http://www.gaypsychotherapy.com/pov1.htm), *In The Family* magazine, July 1996
- Michael Shernoff, [Physicians Living with HIV/AIDS](http://www.thebody.com/content/art2467.html), *The Journal of the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care*, Volume 2, No. 11, November, 1996
- Michael Shernoff, [Gay Marriage and Gay Widowhood](http://www.gaypsychotherapy.com/hglrwidower.htm), *The Harvard Gay & Lesbian Review*, V. IV, No.4, Fall 1997
- Michael Shernoff, [Getting Started: Basic Skills for Effective Social Work with People with HIV and AIDS](http://www.thebody.com/content/art2489.html), In: *HIV and Social Work: A Practitioner's Guide*, David M. Aronstein and Bruce J. Thompson, Editors, 1998, The Haworth Press, Binghamton, N.Y.
- Michael Shernoff, [Monogamy and Gay Men](http://www.gaypsychotherapy.com/MONOGAMYCASE.htm), *Family Therapy Networker*, March/April 1999
- Michael Shernoff, [Condomless Sex: Mental Health Issues in Working With Gay Men Who have Unprotected Anal Intercourse](http://www.gaypsychotherapy.com/Cicatellibarebacking.htm), *5 Boroughs AIDS Mental Health Alliance*, V. 5, No 3, Fall 2003
- Michael Shernoff, [Gay Men and Unsafe Sex: Beyond a Knee Jerk Reaction](http://www.gaypsychotherapy.com/SWTGayMenandUnsafeSex.htm), *Social Work Today*, V.3, No 17, December 2003
- Michael Shernoff, Dial-Up Gay Culture: What We Lose and What We Gain in the New Queer Zeitgeist, *[In the family magazine](/source/In_the_family_magazine)*, V.10, No 4, April 2005

## See also

- [Long-term nonprogressors](/source/Long-term_nonprogressors)

## References

1. [Michael Shernoff, 57, Gay-Health Therapist, Is Dead](https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/21/nyregion/21shernoff.html), *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*, June 21, 2008

1. [Michael Shernoff, MSW, LCSW, ACSW, Diplomate in Clinical Social Work](http://www.gaypsychotherapy.com/) - Michael Shernoff's website, accessed June 22, 2008

1. Steve Weinstein, [Michael Shernoff, Pioneering Gay Psychotherapist Dies](http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=glbt&sc2=news&sc3=&id=76226), Edge.com, June 19, 2008

1. Michael Shertoff, [Michael Shernoff Ends Role at The Body's Ask the Experts Forums](http://www.thebody.com/content/art2480.html), TheBody.com, December 2003

1. [When a Friend Has AIDS](http://www.thebody.com/content/art2450.html), by Dixie Beckham, Diego Lopez, Luis Palacios-Jimenez, Vincent Patti and Michael Shernoff (New York: Chelsea Psychotherapy Associates, 1989)

## External links

- [Michael Shernoff](http://www.advocate.com/print_article_ektid24415.asp), Interview by Christopher Rice, *[The Advocate](/source/The_Advocate_(LGBT_magazine))*, January 17, 2006
- [Unsafe at any speed? A therapist and author talks about harm reduction and barebacking](https://web.archive.org/web/20080605061228/http://www.gay.com/health/hiv/?sernum=3254), [Gay.com](/source/Gay.com) interview with Shernoff (Link is down)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Michael Shernoff](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Shernoff) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Shernoff?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.