Francine Ostrem

Francine Ostrem is a child and family therapist who cares for children and families living with cystic fibrosis. She specializes in treating traumatic stress, especially as it relates to chronic medical conditions, and is dedicated to removing health care barriers through trauma-informed and relationship-centered approaches. She has a background in expressive arts therapy, and her practice is guided by the motto When in doubt, create. She serves as mental health coordinator for the UCSF Cystic Fibrosis Center.

In research, Ostrem translates the science of distress recovery, relationships and self-expression into useful and playful interventions for children and their caregivers. Working with UCSF's Madison Clinic for Pediatric Diabetes, she investigated art therapy's potential to reduce stress and improve quality of life for children and parents impacted by type 1 diabetes. Her mental health initiative using art to address adverse childhood experiences has been supported by the Office of the California Surgeon General and California Department of Health Care Services.

Ostrem earned a doctorate in German literature from the University of California, Berkeley before earning her master's degree in clinical psychology, with a specialization in expressive arts therapy, at John F. Kennedy University. In addition to providing care at UCSF, she has worked in private practice as a licensed marriage and family therapist for almost two decades. She also oversees an art therapy program at Lincoln Families, a nonprofit in Oakland dedicated to disrupting intergenerational trauma and poverty through service to resource-limited communities.