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Ministry & Counseling Experience:

I have been involved in a wide range of ministry for 19+ years. My experience includes ministry to people of all ages (children/youth/women) in church settings, including church planting. This has included teaching, helping run retreats, facilitating groups and Bible studies, and one on one mentoring and discipleship. 

During my graduate program, I interned in private practice as well as public school settings, working with teens and adults. Throughout my time in ministry and counseling, I have gained experience working with grief and loss, trauma, marriage issues, divorce and abandonment, infidelity, family and relational problems, spiritual questions and struggles, identity issues, anxiety, and depression.

Counseling Philosophy & Approach:

It is part of the human experience to come face to face with pain and suffering at some point. It may come in the form of circumstances thrust upon us, battles within ourselves, old wounds resurfacing, pain at the hands of others, and so the list goes on. Sometimes we come to a point where we reach the end of ourselves and need help. We need comfort, and maybe some tools to help us heal and get back on our feet. Counseling can be a place to find that.

Counseling rides upon the hope of change. Change can be a slow and often painful process, yet it is worth it. I believe that each individual has intrinsic value and is capable of positive change and personal growth.

I believe humans are complex beings, and as such, approach therapy holistically: considering the physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and relational aspects that affect clients.

I view counseling as a journey with the therapist walking alongside the client. This means we collaborate in the healing process, working together to set goals and facilitate change. This also means that I believe the therapeutic space, first and foremost, must be a place of trust, safety, compassion, and respect.

My counseling approach is informed by a cognitive behavioral framework (how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors affect each other). We may explore how formative and current relationships are presently affecting you. We may uncover thought and belief patterns that affect behavior, emotions, and how you see the world and yourself in it. We may spend time grieving losses, or learning to name, feel, and vent emotions that need to be processed to heal. Suffering is complex, including the depth of pain and emotion that comes with it. We will work together, at your pace, through the journey of healing and growth.

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Shannon provides in person sessions in Wilsonville, OR as well as telehealth sessions for clients residing in Oregon.