A Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist,
Shannon’s skills were sharpened at an early age in her large Irish Family. She learned how to intuit, communicate and find her voice despite competing with her three big brothers and 13 years later her little sister. Her love and compassion for all life became frighteningly apparent to her parents who found her in a pasture trying to pet huge cows at age three. As she grew older her loyalty and big heart fostered lifetime friendships and she was often called upon to mediate arguments or be a shoulder to cry on.
Shannon always knew she wanted to be of service to others but wasn’t yet sure how that would manifest. She pursued many avenues in college including pre-med /pre-nursing at the
University of
Southern California. She decided instead to pursue her journalism degree at California State University Northridge. After about a year of soul searching post baccalaureate
Shannon committed to the Marriage and Family Therapy Program at Phillips Graduate Institute. Finally she had arrived.
After graduating with her Masters Degree in Psychology, Shannon spent several years earning valuable experience and knowledge in a variety of settings.
Shannon's early experiences included working with perpetrators and victims of domestic violence. She facilitated anger management groups and worked with individuals struggling with generational trauma and the cycle of violence. “Contrary to what others believed, this experience was extremely rewarding for me. I worked with individuals mandated by the courts to seek counseling, who may never have sought counseling, recover and heal from multigenerational cycles of violence.”
Shannon spent two years working at the Child Development Institute where she was certified in infant mental health. She received amazing training and supervision working with children who presented with developmental delays, who fell somewhere on the autistic spectrum.
Shannon worked intensely and closely with these children and their families, applying Floortime technique and behavior modification.
Shannon also facilitated parent support groups to bring families together and educate them about their rights. In addition,
Shannon created the Art from the Heart Program, using art to help children work through anxiety. “I can’t even describe what it is like to reach a child who inhabits a largely internal world, to get that look or smile that lets you know you have connected with them.”
Shannon moved on to private practice where her focus became couples counseling. She was certified by the Prepare /Enrich program to administer couples inventories for pre-marital, co-habitating couples and marital couples in different areas of the life cycle. She worked closely with local churches in the
San Fernando Valley to prepare couples for marriage. She continues to receive ongoing training in psychodynamic work with couples.
Over a year later Shannon joined the therapists at La Vie Counseling Center working in both their Pasadena and
Santa Monica locations with a variety of individual and adolescent clients.
Shannon continued to study Self Psychology and Intersubjective Theories with her colleagues and became a member of CAMFT, AAMFT and IAPSP.
Shannon currently practices out of her offices in West Los Angeles and Pasadena where she works with adults, adolescents and couples struggling with relationship issues, self esteem, body image, eating disordered behaviors, depression, anxiety, trauma, marital conflict, spirituality conflicts, grief, co-dependency, and chemical dependency. She is the Trauma Response Coordinator for the Los Angeles California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.
“The desire to heal, both emotionally and spiritually led me down the path to psychotherapy. I truly admire those willing to embark on the courageous journey towards transformation, and am honored to stand beside them in their quest for happier, healthier, more productive and successful lives.”
