You know that either you and/or your child needs help managing anxiety or OCD and all the big emotions and challenges that come with it.  You have been trying to manage it on your own in the hopes that it would get better. Unfortunately, the challenges are getting more and more difficult.  You want to help them and/or yourself, but you are out of ideas, and nothing is working. It is painful knowing how much you and/or your child is hurting.  

You are ready to seek help, but it’s hard to know what that exactly looks like.  You feel a bit lost in the sea of therapists out there.  I can help you.  

 Who am I?  

Hi! My name is Shauna.  I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with nearly 15 years of experience working with children, teenagers, parents and adults from ages 4 to 65.  I have worked in outpatient mental health clinics providing therapy to an array of age groups including children, teenagers, families, parents and adults. I have also worked as a School Social Worker in brick-and-mortar and virtual elementary, middle and high schools providing counseling to children and teens and support to their parents with students in both the general education population and special education population. I am currently passionate about helping my clients in my private practice.

My work is inspired by the gratitude I feel for the clients who have opened their hearts over the years allowing me to be part of their journey from the tears to successes despite obstacles that have come their way. I enjoy being a mom to my two kids, spending time with friends and family, swimming laps, hiking, spending time outside in nature and attending continuing education to be up on the latest research-based best practices within the OCD and related disorders, anxiety and trauma specialty areas.  

 What I can help with? 

I specialize in treating children, teenagers and adults with OCD, anxiety, trauma and vocal or motor tic disorders or tourettes syndrome.  I also provide treatment for depression – a lot of times when someone has anxiety or experienced a trauma, they may also have some symptoms of depression as well.   Many of the kids and teens I see may have anxiety and/or depression, which is being masked by anger and acting-out behavior, such as tantrums, screaming or fighting. 

What is my approach and style?

My down-to-earth, compassionate, honest and empathic nature creates a comfortable space allowing for support, self-discovery and positive change.  I use a strength-based and non-judgmental approach in which I believe you and/or your child is valuable and has assets.  I collaborate with you to ensure that goals and treatment are working for you and/or your child.  I assist you and/or your child to develop a toolbox of strategies to better manage anxiety or OCD, vocal and or/ motor tics, communication skills to improve relationships, offer new perspectives and pose thought-provoking questions.  

Additionally, my approach is tailored to each client’s unique situation, as I draw from various therapeutic treatment models.  For example, I may utilize mindfulness-based approaches that center on connecting feelings with body sensations to create calm in the present moment.  When I work with kids, they often find my child-friendly mindfulness interventions engaging.  

I draw upon Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) interventions, which helps clients accept challenges including thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations, while committing to act in ways that will allow them to live the life they want to live based on values that are important to them.

When I use Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) interventions clients learn to change unhelpful and distorted thoughts into more accurate and helpful ones.  CBT treatment can also help you or your child change behaviors that are no longer working through behavioral interventions such as exposure therapy, modeling, role plays as well as social and anger management skills. 

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is the gold-standard evidence-based treatment for OCD and other anxiety disorders, which is a type of CBT treatment I use to helps kids, teens and adults safely and compassionately face their worries. Clients often learn that they can manage their discomfort, without the avoidance, while also not engaging in their compulsions and/or safety behaviors, which function to decrease anxiety in the short-term, yet end up perpetuating the anxiety or OCD cycle in the long-term. I help clients learn how to break the anxiety and/or OCD cycle with tools for long-term results. This often leads to reduced anxiety symptoms, and clients are better able to manage their anxiety and/or OCD symptoms, so they can fully engage in life again. I often use a combined approach incorporating both ERP and ACT. I received my certification in ERP by completing an intensive 32 week certification and consultation program through Cognitive Behavior Institute.

If you or your child has experienced a trauma and experience trauma symptoms, I often use the evidence-based therapy treatments including Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy for children and teens and Prolonged Exposure (PE) for adults. 

I provide Comprehensive Behavioral Treatment for Tics (CBIT) to treat vocal or motor tic disorders as well as Tourettes, which is the evidence-based treatment for tics.

I also utilize an integrative approach to treat body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs), like skin picking, hair pulling, nail biting etc. I use evidence based strategies that including Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Dialetical Behavior Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Habit Reversal Training to effectively treat BFRBs.

For children and many teens, I utilize developmentally appropriate play therapy techniques that include play, art, interactive games, activities and worksheets within evidence-based treatments, which can be done through teletherapy.  I utilize the zoom platform, which allows me to both screen share and give remote control of my screen to your teen or child.

I also offer SPACE treatment, which stands for Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions, which is an evidence-based short-term treatment with the goal of treating the child’s anxiety. Parents (not the child or teen) participate in treatment to help their child better manage their anxiety which frees the parents from needing to accommodate to their child’s fears. Research shows that outcomes for SPACE therapy are as efficacious as the child receiving CBT for anxiety.

License

California State Board of Behavioral Sciences, LCSW #27643

Degrees

University of Southern California, Masters in Social Work, 2007

Washington University in St. Louis, 2003, Bachelors of Arts, Majors in Psychology and Political Science, 2003

Credentials

Pupil Personnel Services Credential in both School Social Work and School Counseling 

Certifications

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) Professional Certification, Cognitive Behavior Institute

National Certification in Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy (TF-CBT)

Families OverComing Under Stress (FOCUS) Skill Building Group Certification, UCLA Nathanson Family Resilience Center

Association Memberships

International OCD Foundation

Association for Contextual Behavioral Science

California Association of School Social Workers

National Association of Social Workers

Affiliate Member of CAMFT