Hello!
My name is Shannon and my pronouns are she/her.
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I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), which means that I am trained as a social worker and tend to focus on meeting my clients "where they're at." I won't pretend to be the expert on your life, and will hold space with you while you figure out what you need.
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I am currently licensed to practice in Georgia and South Carolina.
My Story
I have spent most of my life in Georgia and first moved to Athens in 2011 for graduate school. Since then, I have worked with survivors of domestic violence and sexual trauma, folx battling addiction, the LGBTQ+ population, and first responders. My therapeutic approach is grounded in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy - what that means, essentially, is that my goal is to help you identify what your values are, and how to best align your life with those values. I will help you challenge the shoulds and find your joy.
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I believe:
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Humor is a coping skill that gets a bad wrap. Sometimes, yes, we hide behind fake smiles to avoid vulnerability, and I'm happy to hold space with you while you navigate these new scary spaces. Some well placed humor, however, has the ability to soften the sharp edges of a painful history or shine light in dark times. Be prepared to laugh with me (and cry when necessary).
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Kind and nice are NOT the same thing. Kindness is about boundaries, taking care of real needs. It is honest, it is loving, it is sometimes blunt. Kindness is a big bowl of steamed broccoli; niceness is a plate of overly sweetened cookies. Sometimes the cookies are what we gravitate towards, but they may not be what we need. Kindness and honesty can co-exist happily; nice is sneaky, petty, and often problematic.
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Gender and sexuality are fluid and not predicated on one another. One's genitals have as much to do with a person's self-identification, self-expression, and attraction as do one's elbows. Meaning not at all. The only person who gets to decide what is right for you is (you guessed it) YOU. Even if that means that the decision is ever changing and varies from one day to the next.
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Racism must be actively challenged, not ignored. My role as a white person who strives daily to be an ally is to recognize how ingrained these systemic problems are. To recognize that sometimes I'm going to fuck up. And it is my responsibility to be on the alert and accountable for these mistakes.​
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Binaries are dangerous and have no place in the therapeutic space. Though we're often taught that the world is black and white, luckily there are a thousand shades of grey and every other possible color.
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Spirituality, faith, and religion are critical parts of some peoples' lives, and not for others. When they come with shame, they have no place in our space. If that means for you that this is an irrelevant part of your story, that is a-okay. If it means that you've been hurt by "people of God" in the past and need to work through that, we sure can. If it means that faith is a key component of who you are and you need it to be in the room, that works too. I'm ready to meet you wherever you're coming from.
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Sex is good! Consensual sexual expression is a healthy part of adulthood for most people. So whether you have one partner, multiple partners, or are exploring the world on your own terms, I support you! We don't do slut shaming here.
I currently live in Watkinsville with my partner, two human kids, and four furbabies. I am an elder Millennial, Virgo, INFJ, bleeding heart, anti-TERF Hufflepuff, eldest daughter, overly caffeinated, lover of tattoos and "that's what she said" jokes. Welcome!
Contact
3651 Mars Hill Road, Suite 500B
Watkinsville, GA 30677