 |
 
A Personal Message:
I'm a northern California native, yet have spent much of my adult life
living in other places, adapting to other cultures. Life's challenges
and transitions, including divorce and shyness, have facilitated my
growth as a psychotherapist, helping me view change as part of life. In
my private practice office at 405 Chinn Street in Santa Rosa I work
primarily with individuals and couples and facilitate support groups
for separation and divorce and co-parenting education. Particular areas
of interest are: major life transitions including separation and
divorce, couples counseling, co-parent education, shyness and social
anxiety, self-esteem and women's issues. In 2004, I co-created the
Co-Parent Empowerment Group of Sonoma County. Most recently, I have
developed LifeStory Therapy--memoir or autobiographical writing for
spiritual and emotional healing from loss and trauma.
Educational Background and Work Experience:
- B.A. University of California; Berkeley, CA; 1967
- California Elementary Teaching Credential; S.F. State University;
1970
- Hospice Bereavement Counselor Training Program; 1985
- M.A. in Counseling Psychology; J.F.K. University; Orinda, CA; 1989
- Marriage, Family and Child Counselor License; 1993
- 3 years community clinic experience
- Specialized training in transpersonal and body-oriented
psychotherapies
- 13 years experience as licensed clinician in private practice
- 12 years experience facilitating separation/divorce groups
- 5 years leading groups for divorcing parents through "Kids' Turn"
of Sonoma County
- 5 years teaching "Parenting through Divorce" class at Kaiser
Permanente
- Founded psychotherapists' community lecture series in both Marin
and Sonoma counties
- Presented numerous lectures and workshops in Sonoma County
- Published articles on Separation and Divorce and Social Anxiety in
various professional journals and newsletters
- Co-founded Co-Parent Empowerment Group (COPE) of Sonoma County; 2005
My Approach to Therapy:
My philosophy has changed as I have changed. So many people I see are trying to stabilize from overwhelming loss—from separation or divorce or inability to sustain relationship. They feel huge disappointment and panic, having not learned to withstand the pain or free themselves from old constraints. They feel incapable of tolerating intense feelings, adjusting to change, and building a rewarding, happy life. My job is to inspire self-acceptance and support risk taking. I encourage self-affirmation and freedom from perceived limitations. The goal of my work is to help each person discover a whole and complete life, not bound by past or present circumstances.
Particular Clinical Specialties:
- Separation and Divorce
Divorce remains a stigma in our culture and people who are going
through separation often feel shaken to their core. Divorce affects
almost every area of one's life. There is the legal divorce process and
the emotional process—greatly complicated by betrayal, shared children and assets and length of time together. I see many people who were abandoned almost overnight, without any closure. They suffer from huge self-esteem/self-blame and betrayal issues. It takes time to regain
trust because of the deep sense that an inviolate bond was ruptured.
People left in this manner have a great need to be heard and to tell
their story in the presence of a compassionate witness.
-
Separation and Divorce Support Groups
People find comfort and safety in the presence of others who understand
the unique "roller coaster ride of emotions" associated with divorce.
Often the very foundation of life has been shattered, leaving one with
feelings of anxiety, grief, betrayal, guilt, rejection, and injured
self-esteem. What helps is to be with others who offer validation and
normalizing and to offer mutual support by sharing
information/resources that ease the transition.
- Co-Parenting Education
I believe passionately in supporting divorcing parents in building a
cooperative co-parenting relationship. A substantial part of my work is
the Co-Parent Empowerment Group—a six week skills class offering
co-parents concurrent but separate groups—focusing primarily on
feelings management, de-escalation of conflict and effective
communication skills. Visit http://www.coparentempowerment.com for more
information.
- Shyness and Social Anxiety
Many people fear or simply avoid social situations because they
experience anxiety, shame and deep inadequacy. In most cases we find a
personal history of ridicule, shame and/or extreme criticism or
judgment. Withdrawal or avoidance has become a way to cope—but a
lonely way. Shyness and social anxiety are deeply intertwined with
self-esteem. My clients say that they feel "weird, isolated, and very
different from everyone else". To learn that this condition has a
clinical diagnosis and is treatable through one-on-one therapy or group
therapy comes as a huge relief.
- LifeStory Therapy™
Research shows that autobiographical writing, when used therapeutically, can heal us spiritually and emotionally. Shyness, lack of confidence and shame may impede one's ability to talk, but they are not impediments to writing from our authentic self. Often, writing about one's life and reading it in the presence of safe witnesses is the opening to acceptance and to claiming oneself in the complexity of pain and love. LifeStory Therapy™ may be done individually or in LifeStory Therapy™ groups.
Other Specialties include:
- Life Transitions
- Couples Counseling (includes premarital, pre- or post-divorce)
- Grief and Loss
- Self-Esteem
- Women's Issues
- Please see Specialties page
Professional Affiliations:
- California Association for Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT)
- Redwood Empire Chapter of CAMFT
|
|
©2005-2008 Shonnie Brown, Chinn Street Counseling Center; all rights reserved.
|
|
|
