Shannon Frank-Richter (she/her)

As a parent of children diagnosed with high functioning autism, I spent over two decades advocating for their needs in IFSPs, IEPs, and 504 plans. I also helped in advocating my mother's needs when she was dying from vascular dementia. The stress of being a sandwich generation (having minor children and aging parents) is uniquely demanding. Caregiving for special needs loved ones is an overwhelming job, and without respite, burnout is inevitable. I'm here to listen and support.

Being a parent to a child diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder is a life experience that no parent of children with typical neurodevelopment can understand. Period. To walk in the shoes of a parent of an ASD child cannot be imagined. As well, being married to a spouse who has high functioning ASD is also relationally unique. Many Gen X adults are discovering that their lifelong relational challenges stem from being on the spectrum. I help to validate, comfort, and support families with ASD.

Our attachment style is the ingrained lens of how we see the way people and the world show up for us. We develop our attachment style through nature and nurture. In nature, generational trauma can predispose our vulnerability to traumatization and poor crisis management skills. In nurture, our parents own absence of trauma resolve and processing can affect their ability to be healthy caretakers. The cycle can be broken and healthy attachment style is achievable through therapeutic work.

Our attachment style is the ingrained lens of how we see the way people and the world show up for us. We develop our attachment style through nature and nurture. In nature, generational trauma can predispose our vulnerability to traumatization and poor crisis management skills. In nurture, our parents own absence of trauma resolve and processing can affect their ability to be healthy caretakers. The cycle can be broken and a healthy attachment style is achievable through therapeutic work.

I received exceptional training in Motivational Interviewing (MI) during my internship at the Bill Wilson Center in San Jose, California. An evidence-based practice, MI is a tool that a therapist uses to guide a Client in recognizing their own ability, agency and empowerment in circumstances that feel overwhelming and out of their control. MI is both a skill and an art, and is most effective when the therapeutic relationship is trusting and positive.

I completed my EFT externship with Dr. Sue Johnson in 2017 in San Francisco, California. In a nutshell, EFT is an intervention that is primarily used in couples counseling where Motivational Interviewing meets Attachment Theory. The therapist is skilled in helping partners in relationships to focus on the emotions that inform and drive faulty narratives which impair relational harmony. EFT teaches partners to listen empathetically, communicate effectively, and build a healthy attachment bond.

As previously discussed, attachment theory is a theoretical orientation that focuses on how we believe others perceive us and how we perceive the reliability of pertinent figures in our lives. There are four basic styles: Secure, Anxious/Preoccupied, Avoidant/Dismissive, and Disorganized/Fearful-Avoidant. In therapy, we strive for clients to achieve secure attachment as a homeostasis. Exploration of past relationships, family and romantic love, is essential to heal maladaptive attachment.