What is therapy like? What does a typical session with you look like?

I request that clients complete a session preparation form prior to the beginning of each session. There they can note their mood, struggles, successes, and set an agenda for what they would like to address in session. This way clients are actively involved in their treatment and the content of their sessions. Standard individual sessions are 50 minutes in length, couples and family sessions are between 50-60 minutes in length.

"Anything that's human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be more manageable. When we can talk about our feelings they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary. The people we trust with that important talk can help us know that we are not alone" -- Fred Rogers. This is exactly what the therapeutic relationship provides.   I have over 23 years of clinical experience working with people who have felt like you may be feeling today. Whether you struggle with an eating disorder to manage your emotions, feel unable to communicate with your loved-ones, or are haunted by past hurts, I want to help you along your path to healing. Taking the next step is brave and it does not have to be difficult. I offer a variety of in-person and telehealth appointment options throughout the week including evenings and Saturdays. Please visit my website or reach out by email to schedule a complimentary 15 minute phone consultation.

My goal as a therapist is to provide a safe, inclusive and compassionate space. My approach is casual, laid back, and I enjoy using analogies and metaphors to help my clients expand flexibility in their thinking.   I value employing strategies that can be sustainable in creating  change for a lifetime.  It becomes a daily practice and with consistent effort, peace, contentment and joy can be found even in the midst of adversity.    

I have a passion for empowering high achievers like you , though a journey of self discovery towards a fulfilling lived experience. You’ve chased your dreams and found success, but it’s gotten to the point where you feel depleted, empty and your relationships may be in jeopardy. Perhaps you’ve been questioning what more is out there, experiencing an existential crisis of sorts. You know it's time for Change. You Welcome it. You're Motivated. Let's work together so you can finally experience contentment and joy in the life you’ve worked so hard for. Reach out to if you’re ready to embark on this journey. Schedule a no obligation call with me so we can chat to see if I’m the right therapist to guide you through. 

A typical session with me is building rapport with the client, by first discussing what conflict or presenting issue led the client to therapy, then processing at the client's level of comfort, to help the client gain clarity. Together with the client, we will develop a treatment plan for change or acceptance.

Shonta Williams received her MSW from the University of Georgia. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, with over 18 years of experience working with adolescents, individuals, couples and families on issues of anxiety, anger management, depression, self-esteem, and life transitions such as divorce, parenting, co-parenting, and grief. I work to create a safe and non-judgmental space for clients to process their thoughts and emotions and create healthy coping skills and healthy connections with others. My therapeutic approach is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness-Based(MBCT), Motivational Interviewing, and Solution Focused Brief (SFBT). I would be honored to take the journey to healing with you.

I am a fairly directive couple’s counselor. This means I’ll be actively involved in our sessions, but I’ll also ask you to communicate directly to your partner more than to me.  For most couples, I utilize the Gottman Method, which allows us to focus on practicing effective communication skills in session so you feel prepared to utilize them right away at home.  Couple’s sessions can be 60-minutes or 90-minutes, and we can meet either online via Google Meet or in person.

My training in couples work and trauma means I have the expertise you need and deserve when seeking therapy. But at the end of the day, you want to know you’re working with someone who “gets” what it means to be a real-life human struggling with all the demands of life right? I get it because I’m an actual wife, mom, entrepreneur, and daughter of a Law Enforcement Officer. I know that balancing family and marriage while trying to maintain sanity and a career is the opposite of easy. I also firmly believe in the healing power of humor and story-telling. So you won’t get a stuffy, intellectual in a suit when you work with me….you’ll get a real person.

I create a safe and non-judgmental space for you to express your thoughts and feelings. It's important to me for you to feel comfortable about the personal information that you will be disclosing in our sessions. I utilize an integrative approach and my therapeutic style is compassionate, straight-forward, and affirming with a little bit of humor thrown in. If you can change the way that you look at things, you can change the way that you feel, behave, and respond.

I help people move past their struggles and rediscover what’s attainable for their lives. I’ve treat clients diagnosed with anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.

When you begin therapy we gather all information about you. We go over paperwork and sign all documentation. I conduct an assessment by asking many questions about your life, past and present events, and what you would like to work on. Together, we create a treatment plan with goals you and I come up with to be able to track progress. After, we will have sessions either weekly, or bi-weekly to work toward the goals we set out.

***Currently accepting new clients***  Life can become overwhelming and at times we need someone to help us sort through things. Therapy is a very personal experience where you are able to talk and process through your own thoughts and emotions. Whether it be past issues you need help working through or current ones, therapy is a safe place to work on you. I am bilingual in Spanish and am trained in EMDR to work through trauma related issues. 

You can expect a safe space for you to vent and a trustworthy therapist who can support you in your journey of healing. You can expect to learn more about how your past continues to affect your present. You will gain insight on what needs to be done to move on and transform yourself to a better self. My clients often report a sense of relief in anger, guilt, sadness, grief, and tense muscles. Once this is done, you will be able to forgive and move on much easier

My specialty is AF EMDR (Attachment Focused Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing) therapy and Super Resourcing. If you have traumatic experiences, painful childhood, low self-esteem, I may be the perfect match for you. These things haunted me for 35 years. CBT, DBT, and talk therapy gave me some relief, but it was AF EMDR that transformed me and gave me the healing I needed. Rest assured, I can walk the talk and guide you in your journey of self discovery and healing.

Building rapport and establishing a safe and therapeutic environment is most important. My approach to therapy is collaborative. A typical session with me begins with getting to know the needs and goals of the client. When coming to therapy, many are struggling and want to find some relief. I believe that allowing clients to share their experience, allows the therapist to gather data/information that can be used during treatment planning. 

I have extensive training cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure and response prevention (ERP), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), family systems therapy and mindfulness. I am specialized in the treatment of a variety of anxiety disorders including body focused repetitive behaviors (BFRB), social anxiety, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and obsessive-compulsive and other related disorders (OCD). I am also trained in Habit Reversal Therapy (HRT) to treat Trichotillomania and Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tourette syndrome (CBIT).  I pride myself on developing a deep connection to my clients and create a warm therapeutic relationship needed to achieve results and action while in treatment. I pull from a range of evidence-based therapies to create an approach that works for the individual client. I highly value collaboration with other treatment providers, including with psychiatrists, physicians, and treatment team members.

I incorporate mindful meditation, somatic awareness and making expressive/reflective art in almost all of my sessions. I find it to be a powerful practice to take a mindful pause to "check-in" with yourself just by observing what is present in your body and allowing your body to inform you of your current state of being. Notice how you are impacted by what is going on in your current world, and/or what energy you have been carrying around with(in) you (sometimes for months or even years). My clients explore this by creating visual reflections of what they observe, of their thoughts, behaviors, habits, and how they are experiencing emotions physically in their body.

I believe that everyone has the power within them to create positive shifts in the way one experiences and expresses their emotions, in turn creating positive shifts and experiencing their world around them. My intention is to help you uncover your power. I have worked as an Art Therapist since 2009 in the mental health and substance abuse fields. Most recently, I have worked in an acute psychiatric hospital setting for the past 9yrs and have been in private practice for 5yrs. I am proud to have assisted 2 organizations in developing their first Art Therapy programs. In private practice I work mainly with adults who struggle with anxiety and/or depression. We practice mindfulness and somatic awareness skills together with art therapy to minimize the barriers that anxiety and depression create in my client's lives.