About

Headshot of a smiling man with gray hair in a white dress shirt and dark blazer against a dark gray background.

Dr. Fran Kuehn, DSW, LICSW, M.Ed., Diplomate A-CBT

Fran is a cognitive behavioral therapist in Newton, MA, specializing in the treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, anxiety disorders, and phobias.

Fran is both a clinician and an educator, currently serving as a graduate-level faculty member at Simmons University in Boston, MA. His clinical work sharpens what he teaches, and his research and teaching inform how he practices. 

Fran utilizes Inference Based Cognitive Therapy (I-CBT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), as well as meta-cognitive and mindful-based therapies, to maximize treatment outcomes. He approaches his practice with the philosophy that treatment should be collaborative and client centered.  

He is a Diplomate in the Academy of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies and a member of the International OCD Foundation and the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.

Fran resides in the Greater Boston area with his family.

  • Doctor of Social Work, University at Buffalo School of Social Work May 2025

    Masters in Special Education, Boston University May 2002

    Masters in Social Work, Boston University May 2001

    Bachelor of Arts (Psychology), State University of New York at Geneseo May 1996

  • Cognitive Behavior Therapist in Private Practice, Newton, MA 2008-Present

    • Provide high quality evidence-based therapeutic interventions for a wide variety of mental health challenges experienced by a diverse population of adolescents and adults.

    • Therapies employed: Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Inference-Based Cognitive Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Exposure with Response Prevention

    Associate Professor of Practice, Simmons University, Boston, MA 2022 - Present

    • Coordinator of the School Social Work Licensure Program

    • Teach CBT, Advanced Clinical Practice, School Social Work Courses, Family Therapy

    • Advise Students

    • Serve on University and Program Committees

    Adjunct Instructor, Boston College School of Social Work 2022 - Present

    • Instructor for SCWK 8858 Clinical Social Work Practice in Schools

    Contract Instructor, Salem State University Graduate School of Social Work, Salem, MA 2020 - 2022

    • Teach Graduate level Social Work Courses: Social Policy, Dynamics of Privilege and Oppression, Practice with Children and Families, Integrative Case Analysis and Decision Making

    • Advise Graduate Students

    • Chair the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee

    Senior Adjunct Instructor, Simmons University School of Social Work 2007 - 2022

    • Course Designer and Senior Instructor for two Graduate Clinical Practice Courses.

    • Lead a team of course instructors in the delivery of high quality education in the practice of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and therapeutic interventions in academic settings.

    Clinical Social Worker, Brookline High School, Brookline, MA 2001 - 2020

    • Provide evidence-based therapeutic interventions for a diverse and international population of students.

    • Engage in crisis response, brief treatment and emergency evaluations to ensure student safety.

    • Advocate for students and families in disciplinary hearings, IEP meetings and re-entry meetings.

    • Collaborate with outside providers to create comprehensive interdisciplinary student support plans.

    Mindful Stress Resilience Curriculum Coordinator 2015 - 2019

    • Design, lead and implement a comprehensive mindfulness curriculum school-wide, with a cohort of educators from every department in the school.

    Program Coordinator, the ExCEL Program 2009 - 2012

    • Lead a team of educators in providing a therapeutic learning environment for students with emotional and behavioral challenges.

    • Supervised, consulted and supported teacher interventions and pro-social classroom culture.

    • Andover Public Schools - Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Professional Development 2025-2026

    • Bull City Anxiety and OCD Treatment Center - Inference-Based Cognitive Therapy for OCD - 2026

    • Strong Roots Counseling - Inference-Based Cognitive Therapy for OCD - 2026

    • OCD New Hampshire - Inference-Based Cognitive Therapy for OCD - 2025

    • The Bridge Training Institute Clinical Experts Series - Inference-Based Cognitive Therapy for OCD - 2025

    • Bristol County Agricultural High School Trauma-Informed Schools Faculty workshop - 2024

    • Andover Public Schools Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) Professional Development 2023-2024

    • Keynote Speaker NASW-MA School Social Work Conference - 2022

    • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Children and Families - The Bridge Institute 2022

    • Clinical Experts Series Presenter on School Mental Health - The Bridge Institute 2021

    • Harvard Medical School and Cambridge Health Alliance School Mental Health Conference (Using CBT to transform the culture of your school - 2020)

    • The Bridge Institute (Best Practices for Social Emotional Learning in Schools - 2020)

    • Boston University School of Social Work Professional Education Programs (Social and Emotional Learning in Schools: How School Mental Health Providers can teach Resilience, Regulation and Improve the Wellbeing of their School – 2016, 2018); (New Approaches with Challenging Students: Transforming School Culture through Collaborative and Positive Behavioral Interventions 2013-2017); (Meeting Children’s Mental Health needs where they are: Social Work services in Schools (2011).

    • LABBB Collaborative (Foundations of Cognitive Behavior Therapy for School Providers – 2017)

    • The Bridge Institute (New Approaches with Challenging Students: Transforming School Culture through Collaborative and Positive Behavioral Interventions – 2015.)

    • School Social Work Association of America Annual Conference (Strategies to change School Culture to address student discipline – 2013); (How understanding teacher mindset can help School Social Workers transform student relationships and School Culture – 2014).

    • Harvard Medical School; School Mental Health Conference (Redemption and Restoration in Schools: Effective Discipline Strategies for Our Most Challenging Students – 2014).

    • Assabet Valley Collaborative (New Approaches with Challenging Students: Transforming School Culture through Collaborative and Positive Behavioral Interventions – 2014, 2015).

  • Graduate, the International OCD Foundation Behavioral Therapy Training Institute (BTTI), 2022

    Diplomate, The Academy of Cognitive Therapy, 2015

    Mindful Schools Educator, 2014

    Benson Henry Institute for Mind-Body Medicine, 2014

    Cognitive Behavior Therapy Certificate Program, Boston University, 2012

  • Massachusetts affiliate of the International OCD Foundation

    Inference-Based Cognitive Therapy IOCDF Special Interest Group

Case Consultation with Dr. Aaron Beck

A man holding a microphone sits at a table in a conference room, speaking to an elderly man in a wheelchair. Several people are seated around the table, listening. There are glasses of water, notebooks, and a water bottle on the table, with a large window and a whiteboard in the background.

Fran working with and learning from renowned expert and developer of CBT, Dr. Beck, at the Beck Institute in Philadelphia (2018)

In 2018, I had the opportunity to train at the Beck Institute in Philadelphia. During that time, I submitted a challenging case I was navigating with a client for review. To my surprise, Dr. Aaron Beck, the founder of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, found the case compelling enough to sit down with me for a live role-play. He stepped into the process with brilliant clarity, helping to identify the core issue underlying the client’s presentation in a way that was deeply eye-opening. When I shared those insights with the client afterward, the shift in understanding was immediate and transformative. The experience was impactful enough that Dr. Beck later featured the case in the Institute’s newsletter, with his assistant mentioning afterward that she had rarely seen him so excited about a case. Working through that session remains a defining moment, reminding me of how powerful and transformative rigorous clinical collaboration can be when we dive deep into the work together. It was humbling to have the opportunity to get to learn from Dr. Beck directly and to have the benefit of training at the highest standards of excellence in the field that he created.