Therapist, California

My name is Shanique, and I am a registered Associate Clinical Social Worker (ASW #99910) with over 4 years of experience. I have a Master’s in Social Work (emphasis on Family and Children) from Simmons College in Boston, MA and a Bachelor’s in Psychology from Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, FL. I try to be transparent and relatable with clients I work with, so here’s a little bit about me: I have always been my worst enemy. Through a traumatic childhood, being the “black sheep” of my family, the “only black person” at jobs, and constantly wondering “What am I doing wrong?!”. It took me a while to understand the strength that I had within myself. To take certain qualities I never valued and see them as positive. To realize that negative thinking wasn’t going to make me feel any better. And to want to change and put in the time to make healing a priority. It was hard to do this though, because naturally we form habits that are hard to break, but through seeking support and putting in the work, I was able to become a better version of myself. Not close to being perfect at all (because it doesn’t exist!) but being… better. And if we are a little bit better than we were before, that’s all that matters. I want you to become a little bit better every day, and we can do that together by building a safe and supportive therapeutic relationship.  

 It’s common to hear people in this field say, “I love helping people”, which is not a bad thing. For me, I’d like to be more specific. I would love to help you understand how your thoughts and actions are connected, which can be done by using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques. I would love to help you regulate your emotions, become more mindful, and process situations (past, present, and future events), which can be done by using Dialectical Behavioral Therapy techniques. I’d also love to help you become more solution focused and become the expert in your own life. This can be done through Solution Focused Therapy. As the expert in your life, together we will identify the strengths that you have and recognize your resilience. I’m ready to meet you where you are and go at your own pace.  

As a therapist, all I can do is provide the tools and resources to help you… you must be willing to put in the work to change. Sometimes change is uncomfortable, but if you are willing to give it a try, I’m here for you. If you are ready to work through feelings of self-doubt and rejection, challenge negative beliefs and cognitive distortions, and finally stand up to your inner critic, let’s get to work. I can’t promise that this journey will be easy, and that’s because healing doesn’t happen overnight. What I can promise you is that I will be here with you every step of the way, because you deserve to become the best version of yourself. 

 I have experience conducting parenting classes (using Nurturing Parenting Curriculum) with new parents and foster parents/caregivers. I have done elementary and high school individual counseling, residential counseling with sexually abused adolescents, and worked with children who have Special Needs. I have been a Child Protective Services (CPS) Social Worker, working directly with foster families/caregivers, biological parents, and children with the goal of reunification. I’ve worked at a Psychiatric Behavioral Hospital as an Inpatient psychiatric therapist working with suicidal, psychotic, depressed and other mood disordered individuals. Most recently I conducted group therapy sessions focused on substance abuse and trauma with adults who were incarcerated. I work with children and adolescents who are struggling with emotional or behavioral issues and adults experiencing work related stress, life stress, life transitions, anxiety, depression, trauma, and I can help with parenting and those who want to build better relationships overall. I always use a trauma informed approach in my work, as trauma has a tremendous impact on our life, whether vicariously or first-hand. 

 In my free time I love sewing and doing fun home-improvement DIY projects. Most of the time these “projects” end up half done and worse off than before… but hey, that’s life sometimes! I don’t get discouraged, I just laugh and attempt another DIY! I like to say, sometimes the ride is better than the destination. It’s ok to take detours along the way, stop and smell the flowers, get out and stretch, grab a cup of coffee, look at the map to see how far you have come, and then get back in the car to keep going. Oh yeah, another thing about me is I am also bad at analogies (but I still try using them), so hopefully that makes sense!