Hi, I'm Shonda (she/her)

Are we a good match?

Trauma-Informed Care: Healing at Your Own Pace

Trauma has a way of weaving itself into every corner of our lives, and healing from it requires more than just talking about what happened. It requires feeling safe enough to go there in the first place. ​My approach to trauma-informed care is built on that foundation of safety. Before anything else, we build trust. I will never push you further or faster than you are ready to go. Using evidence-based approaches, we will work together to understand how your past experiences are showing up in your present life, gently challenge the thought patterns and beliefs that may be keeping you stuck, and build the internal tools you need to move forward with greater clarity and resilience. Healing is not linear, and it is not one-size-fits-all. What matters most is that it's yours.

​

Veterans & Military Therapy: You Served. Now Let Someone Show Up for You.

Military service demands everything from you: your time, your body, your sense of self. It asks you to be strong when strength is the only option, to compartmentalize, to keep moving. And for many service members and veterans, that's exactly what they do, long after the service is over. But at some point, what you've been carrying has to go somewhere. ​As a veteran, I don't just understand military culture professionally; I've lived it. I know the complexity of transition: the pride and the grief, the sense of purpose and the disorientation of civilian life. I know how difficult it can be to ask for help when you've been trained to be the one who holds it together.

​

I provide therapy for veterans, active duty service members, and military families that honors the full weight of your experience. Whether you are navigating PTSD, moral injury, the emotional aftermath of combat, the challenges of reintegration, or simply trying to reconnect with yourself and your loved ones, I offer a safe space, affirming and deeply respectful of your service. You have given so much. You deserve care that meets that level of sacrifice.

​

​Parenting Support: Showing Up for Your Family Starts With Showing Up for Yourself

Parenting is one of the most profound and demanding roles a person can take on. It brings immeasurable love, but it also brings stress, uncertainty, and moments where you feel completely at a loss. When a parent is struggling, whether with their own mental health, the weight of systemic barriers, or the daily overwhelm of caregiving, the whole family feels it. That is not a judgment. It is a reality that too many parents carry in silence.

​

I work with parents and caregivers who are trying to do right by their children while also navigating their own challenges. My approach is practical and compassionate. We look at both the immediate pressures in front of you and the bigger picture of what you need to thrive as an individual and as a parent. I help parents build coping skills, develop greater self-awareness, and create the kind of stability at home that allows their children to grow and flourish.

​

​Therapy for Black Women and Historically Marginalized Communities

As a Black woman, I know what it means to move through a world that often asks you to shrink yourself, to be strong when you are exhausted, to smile through pain, and to prove your worth in spaces that were not built to include you. I know the particular kind of fatigue that comes from navigating racism, sexism, and systemic inequity, often all at once, while still trying to show up fully in every area of your life.

​

Therapy should be a place where you don't have to explain that. A place where your experiences are not minimized or questioned, but held with care and met with understanding. I provide culturally competent, affirming care for Black women and clients from other historically marginalized communities who are ready to prioritize their healing without having to code-switch or justify their reality.

​

In our work together, we can address the personal challenges you are navigating as well as the systemic ones. Because your mental health does not exist in a vacuum, it is shaped by history, by culture, by the communities you come from and the ones you are trying to build. I see all of that, and I honor all of that.

​

My Commitment to You

I was born and raised in St. Louis, and being able to give back to this community is something I do not take lightly. ​My practice is grounded in core social work values: the inherent dignity and worth of every person, integrity, and a commitment to social justice. I approach every session with genuine curiosity about who you are, where you've been, and where you want to go. I will never pretend to have all the answers, but I will always show up fully, honestly, and in your corner.

​

I also believe in the importance of joy. Outside of the counseling room, I am someone who loves spending time with family, exploring new restaurants, singing (at home to an audience of one very supportive ginger cat), and finding the small moments that make life rich. I bring that humanity into my work because therapy, at its best, is deeply human.

​

Starting Therapy Can Feel Scary. That's Okay.

I understand that reaching out for help can feel like one of the hardest things to do, especially for those who have been taught to be self-reliant or who have experienced distrust or disappointment in systems meant to help them. If that's you, I want you to know: your hesitation makes complete sense. And it doesn't have to stop you.

​

Therapy is not about having the right words or knowing exactly what you need. It is a collaborative space where you are in control, and my role is simply to meet you where you are. Together, we figure out what support looks like for you, and we take it one step at a time.

​

You deserve to feel heard. You deserve to heal. And you deserve a therapist who genuinely believes in your capacity to do both. Whenever you're ready, I'm here.