Shannon Smith (she/they)

MA, LPC-S, LPC/MHSP
Accepting Clients

I'm a person-centered therapist with a trauma-informed perspective and a race, culture, sexuality, and gender-affirming approach.

Licensed Professional Counselor in Chattanooga, TN

About My Clients

I provide individual and couples therapy to older adolescents and adults. I welcome individuals from marginalized communities, especially BIPOC, trans and queer individuals, and I practice from an anti-oppression, anti-discrimination, and anti-racism perspective. I work with a wide range of emotional and behavioral issues, and I offer a highly personalized approach tailored to each of my clients' individual needs to help attain the personal growth and healing that they’re looking for.

My Background and Approach

I earned my Master's degree in Community Mental Health Counseling from Louisiana State University, and I have continued education in several therapeutic approaches, including Brainspotting, EMDR, Parts Work/Internal Family Systems (IFS), Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT), Polyvagal Theory, Forest Therapy, and mindfulness approaches. My approach to counseling is integrative, client-centered, trauma-informed, and relational, aiming to support your personal growth and development. I emphasize non-stigmatizing, non-pathologizing, and compassionate modalities, and I strive to embrace a decolonial approach as much as possible. I opened my private practice in the fall of 2020, with a goal to create a warm, accepting, and affirming space, especially for those who often feel "othered." Prior to my career in counseling, I worked as a professional victim advocate across five states, and I have since been sworn in as an expert on sexual trauma and victimization in federal court.

My Personal Beliefs and Interests

Therapy was a second career to me, and I went to grad school after 40. I have experienced trauma, depression, anxiety, suicidality, and self-injury, and I understand how difficult it is to find a therapist that understands those issues from a personal perspective. I consider myself a liberal person, both socially and politically. I am Southern by birth, but have lived in the Midwest, the Northeast, and New England, and I think that my travels have exposed me to more cultures and beliefs than I would have otherwise experienced. I believe that Black Lives Matter, I'm vehemently pro-choice, and I'm a proud feminist. As a queer-identifying cis, white woman married to a man, I recognize my privilege and feel an obligation to use that privilege to challenge individuals and systems that perpetuate discrimination and inequity. I am childless by choice, but I share my life with multiple pets, and I am active in the animal rescue community.

I offer online counseling in the following states:

At A Glance

  • Experience: 11 years of practice
  • Languages: English
  • Rate: $120 - 175/session

Info

Email Shannon
2628 Broad St.
Suite A
Chattanooga, TN 37409
8241 Summa Ave.
Suite A
Baton Rouge, LA 70809

Reach out to Shannon