River Farrell

River Farrell, PsyD, is a core faculty member at the Michigan School of Psychology (MSP), where they joined as an adjunct in 2016 and became core faculty in 2022. They hold a PsyD and MA in Clinical Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology and a BS in Psychology from Clarkson University. Licensed as a psychologist in Michigan, Dr. Farrell is a non-binary queer individual whose clinical and academic work centers on gender and sexual minority communities.

• PsyD in Clinical Psychology, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
• MA in Clinical Psychology, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
• BS in Psychology, Clarkson University

Dr. Farrell's research and clinical expertise focus on affirming mental health practices for gender and sexual minorities. They specialize in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), gender identity development, therapy with gender-diverse youth, and consensual non-monogamy (CNM). Their work emphasizes the lived experiences of asexual, non-binary, and queer individuals in CNM relationships, as well as best practices for family therapy when supporting trans or gender non-conforming youth.

Their 2022 publication, 'Polyam Affect: Working with emotions in CNM,' contributes to the growing literature on emotionally aware, sex-affirmative clinical practices. The work reflects a broader trend in their scholarship: integrating contextual behavioral science with LGBTQ+ affirmative care, particularly using ACT frameworks to support queer clinicians and clients.

Dr. Farrell is an active member of several professional organizations:

• American Psychological Association, Division 44 (Society for the Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity)
• Association for Contextual Behavioral Science
• Gender and Sexual Diversity Special Interest Group
• Children, Adolescents and Families Special Interest Group

In their teaching, Dr. Farrell emphasizes relationship-building, experiential learning, and the development of higher-order cognitive skills such as analysis, evaluation, and knowledge creation. They integrate students’ prior experiences into the learning process and aim to prepare future clinicians with the critical thinking skills necessary for effective psychological practice. Though no formal advisees or research grants are listed, their research agenda is clearly oriented toward filling critical gaps in the understanding of marginalized identities in mental health.

Dr. Farrell presents regularly at national conferences, including the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science World Conference, and has led workshops on topics such as 'ACTing Queer' and 'Coming Out to Family.' Their work is deeply informed by both clinical experience and personal identity, contributing to a more inclusive and nuanced field of psychological practice.