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Hello, and thank you for taking your time to learn more about me! My name is Shawna, I am a licensed professional counselor in the state of Mississippi. I have over 12 years’ experience working in the mental health field. I have worked in a variety of settings including: in homes, providing residential level of care therapy services, schools, youth court systems throughout the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, outpatient services, as well as a Child Advocacy Center. Although that seems like a mouthful, it simply means that I have had experience working in a several different settings, with a broad range of clinical issues. I believe the best way to truly understand what someone is going through is to understand where they come from, let them be the expert on themselves and provide the services they need to help them succeed. I have the most experience working with stress reduction, anxiety, depression, anger management, family conflict, parenting skills, relationship conflict, and complex trauma/abuse. I also have experience with a wide variety of mental health disorders.
My dedication to the field of mental health stems from years of working with children, adolescents and their families, in state custody; along with watching friends and family members struggle with mental illness. I have seen firsthand that having mental health concerns can be difficult and cause feelings of despair and isolation; not to mention the process for getting help can be overwhelming. However, I also know from experience how much life can change for the better when you find the right support and take steps towards taking care of yourself!
I use a person-centered, holistic, and eclectic approach in treatment, meaning I begin where you are and tailor my treatment approach to your needs while being sensitive to how your personal thoughts, beliefs and lifestyle choices impact your experience. I primarily use evidence based techniques including cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness, motivational interviewing, and solution-focused counseling. However, I do incorporate more "classical" approaches to counseling as well. I would describe my style as warm and supportive, but I am ready to help you tackle your struggle head-on. I am very creative and do not like to conform our sessions into something that will place a box around it. I want it to go where it needs to go for you to get what you need to feel empowered and in control. Remember, no one is a magician. No one can "fix" your situation. It will take time and hard work on your part to make the changes you want. If you're willing to put in the work, I'm willing to walk alongside you and work as well! Together we can work on establishing goals and steps for you to understand the problem and gain the confidence to move forward and feel more in control of your life. Throughout my years of practice I’ve found a recurrent theme: the need to be heard, to be validated, and to know you are not alone!
Additional areas of focus:LGBT, Family conflicts, Grief, Intimacy-related issues, Parenting issues, Anger management, Self esteem, Career difficulties, Bipolar disorder, Adoption and Foster Care, Blended Family Issues, Caregiver Issues and Stress, Codependency, Commitment Issues, Communication Problems, Control Issues, Coping with Natural or Human-Caused Disaster, Dependent Personality, Divorce and Separation, Domestic Violence, Family of Origin Issues, Family Problems, Fatherhood Issues, Fertility Issues, Guilt and Shame, Impulsivity, Infidelity, Isolation / Loneliness, Jealousy, Military and Veterans Issues, Mood Disorders, Multicultural Concerns, Obsessions, Compulsions, and OCD, Panic Disorder and Panic Attacks, Paranoia, Polyamory / Nonmonogamous Relationships, Postpartum Depression, Pregnancy and Childbirth, Prejudice and Discrimination, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), Self-Harm, Self-Love, Social Anxiety and Phobia, Visually Impaired, Women's Issues, Workplace Issues, Young Adult Issues
These quotes represent just a few of the many positive reviews that we have received for Shawna Pankonin. We don't pay anyone to provide their review and they are all made voluntarily. Some people's experience receiving therapy with BetterHelp might be different.
I love talking to Shawna, she's just wonderful. And my partner loves her, both for me and for us.
Written on Nov 17, 2023 after therapy with Shawna for 2 months on issues concerning stress, anxiety, lgbt, relationship issues, family conflicts, grief, intimacy-related issues, and anger management
I had never participated in therapy before finding Better Help. I had hit a brick wall and realized that I had to find some help. I immediately felt comfortable with Shawna. She not only listened..she helped me feel heard and finally understood. I would highly recommend her for anyone.
Written on Oct 10, 2023 after therapy with Shawna for 2 months on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, and relationship issues
She is great and I have used her off and on for several years. She knows my history and I don't have to remind her.
Written on Aug 01, 2023 after therapy with Shawna for 4 years and 8 months on issues concerning stress, anxiety, lgbt, relationship issues, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, intimacy-related issues, and self esteem
Shawna is wonderful human being who has not only listened to my primary concerns but has given me insight on how to deal with my stresses. She gets on video chat and right away, puts her focus on how I am doing. She is caring, knowledgeable, and very supportive. I strongly recommend her for needs regarding anxiety, relationships, and stress.
Written on Apr 03, 2023 after therapy with Shawna for 2 weeks on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, intimacy-related issues, parenting issues, self esteem, and anger management
Shawna has been a huge support for me over the last few weeks! I have enjoyed my sessions with her, and her perspective on my current life situation has been extremely helpful. I look forward to continuing my work with her.
Written on Dec 12, 2022 after therapy with Shawna for 3 weeks on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, and relationship issues
Shawna has helped me through some of the most difficult events that I have gone through in my life. She is very reliable, professional, caring, and empathetic. I have been seeing Shawna since 2019 and could not ask for a better counselor!!
Written on Dec 01, 2022 after therapy with Shawna for 3 years and 3 months on issues concerning stress, anxiety, and trauma and abuse
Shawna is a great listener and she gives great guidance for navigating anxiety and stress. I was comfortable with her from day one and always looking forward to our sessions.
Written on Nov 30, 2022 after therapy with Shawna for 3 weeks on issues concerning stress, anxiety, self esteem, career difficulties, coping with life changes, and adhd
I have been talking to Shawna for little over 6 months now. I suffered from anxiety and stress paired with a somewhat low self image.
Shawna is such an incredible listener and has given me useful and hands on tools to help. I really feel like a different guy than when I started this journey. I would highly recommend Shawna if you are looking for someone who makes you feel at ease, has a lot of humor, a clear and hands on approach and is good at mirroring you.
My sessions are always light ( even if the subject matter is heavy) and I always have more energy coming out. Very thankful for her amazing help!
Written on Oct 17, 2022 after therapy with Shawna for 7 months on issues concerning stress, anxiety, relationship issues, and self esteem
Shawna is so helpful and kind and I feel like she actually understands me fully. It is so nice having someone to talk to every week.
Written on Oct 05, 2021 after therapy with Shawna for 2 weeks on issues concerning stress, anxiety, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, sleeping disorders, self esteem, and adhd
Shawana is the absolute best! She’s everything and more you could ever want in a therapist.
Written on Sep 15, 2021 after therapy with Shawna for 2 years and 6 months on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, lgbt, relationship issues, and coping with life changes
An amazing listener & an even better problem solver. She never fails to give me more than one way to work through / look at a situation & always takes your strong & weak points into account. Have never felt unsafe & I am always heard!
Written on May 29, 2021 after therapy with Shawna for 8 months on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, and self esteem
I have been speaking to Shawna for a few months regarding anxiety I was experiencing during a difficult time in a romantic relationship. She provided an incredibly safe and positive space to talk through the issues and share ways of handling the anxiety and gave me new ways of understanding myself and my needs moving forward. I'd strongly recommend her :)
Written on Jan 25, 2021 after therapy with Shawna for 6 months on issues concerning stress, anxiety, relationship issues, and intimacy-related issues
Shawna has extensive experience with school counseling which comes really useful as I am an elementary school teacher. I feel like Shawna understands the settings well and can give me very good work related advice. For my personal life also, I feel like Shawna can relate to my experiences and often openly talks about her own experiences in similar situations which puts things into perspective. She introduces a variety of CBT tools which help change your point of view and develop as a person.
Written on Dec 14, 2020 after therapy with Shawna for 1 year and 8 months on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, eating disorders, self esteem, anger management, and career difficulties
Shawna is very empathetic! She really cares and truly wants to help. She provided me with some great advice and tools to get through a very difficult time in my life. Thanks again Shawna! Keep shining ;)
Written on Nov 05, 2020 after therapy with Shawna for 3 months on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, family conflicts, intimacy-related issues, and anger management
Shawna is knowledgeable, quick to respond and a great listener.
Written on Jul 19, 2020 after therapy with Shawna for 2 weeks on issues concerning relationship issues, family conflicts, anger management, and bipolar disorder
After a few sessions with Shawna I can feel a lot of positive changes within my life. She is incredibly compassionate, motivational and good at suggesting positive coping techniques. I enjoy our sessions together and her ability to understand and relate to what I have to say. This is my third therapist in life and she has been so natural and easy for me to talk to in comparison to my previous therapy experiences.
Written on Jun 24, 2020 after therapy with Shawna for 7 months on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, intimacy-related issues, and self esteem
Shawna is the best therapist I've ever had. She is great at sympathising, understanding you, pushing you when necessary and offering practical tips.
Written on Apr 07, 2020 after therapy with Shawna for 1 year and 2 months on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, intimacy-related issues, self esteem, career difficulties, coping with life changes, and adhd
I like working with Shawna, she's really good at listening but also refocusing the conversation to be productive. She's friendly and calm and really easy to talk to. I definitely feel like I can contact her when I need to and she's quick at responding. Really level headed and also direct at calling out crazy situations/identifying them objectively.
Written on Mar 03, 2020 after therapy with Shawna for 3 months on issues concerning stress, anxiety, relationship issues, family conflicts, and trauma and abuse
Shawna is the second counselor I have been matched with. After only a few sessions I am so very grateful for our time. She is just the kindest soul, she makes you feel so incredibly comfortable and fills you with warmth. I thought this service was quite expensive but wanted to give it a go, I now feel it's actually kind of on the cheap side for what I am receiving. The appreciation can't really be conveyed in words. Thank you, really, you are saving me.
Written on Jan 21, 2020 after therapy with Shawna for 2 weeks on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, and trauma and abuse
Shawna is a wonderful human being who actively listens, understands and provides insight and further guidance. I appreciate her endlessly and she has been a great counselor to me so far. I got very lucky with who was assigned to me, and am so thankful!
Written on Nov 20, 2019 after therapy with Shawna for 5 months on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, intimacy-related issues, self esteem, and career difficulties
She was lovely and patient with me. Definitely helped me clear up all my worries.
Written on Oct 19, 2019 after therapy with Shawna for 1 week on issues concerning stress, anxiety, relationship issues, family conflicts, parenting issues, self esteem, and bipolar disorder
Absolutely amazing. She was such a wonderful help to me during the worst time of my life. She listened patiently and offered great ideas and tools to help me get thru and be able to handle things on my own. I would highly recommend her as a counselor.
Written on Sep 26, 2019 after therapy with Shawna for 3 weeks on issues concerning stress, anxiety, addictions, relationship issues, family conflicts, and coping with life changes
Shawna is a very professional no nonsense councillor who tells you how it is.
Written on Sep 18, 2019 after therapy with Shawna for 3 weeks on issues concerning family conflicts, trauma and abuse, grief, anger management, and coping with life changes
Shawna has been a constant support for me over the last few months whilst I've had a whole range of issues going on. She helped me set up practical tools for managing situations, personalizing them to my exact situation. Most importantly though, every week she remembered everything we'd discussed, brought genuine warmth and compassion, and made me feel totally at ease. I'm in a good spot to put everything into practice on my own, but know I can connect again if I need some support!
Written on Sep 16, 2019 after therapy with Shawna for 3 months on issues concerning stress, anxiety, and family conflicts
Shawna is an amazing counselor. I have tried with about three previous counselor that I didn’t connect with, but I instantly felt that Shawna was an intelligent, experienced, and compassionate person. She is easy to talk to, she teaches me techniques to address my issues, and she encourages me to keep working towards my goals. She also sent me very helpful resources to read at the end of my first session. I finally feel that I’m getting the help that I have needed for so long.
Written on Sep 05, 2019 after therapy with Shawna for 2 weeks on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, trauma and abuse, intimacy-related issues, self esteem, and career difficulties
I cannot say enough great things about Shawna. She really listens to what I’m saying and provides valuable feedback and action to move forward. She has a very comforting yet direct approach, which I very much like. I would highly recommend Shawna, and already have to a number of people.
Written on Aug 08, 2019 after therapy with Shawna for 4 months on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, sleeping disorders, self esteem, anger management, career difficulties, and coaching
Shawna is an insightful and caring counsellor, an attentive listener with a focus on practical strategies and techniques. In just a few sessions I feel confident I have the toolkit to manage stress and the negative thoughts that took up so much of my day before. Wish I’d done this sooner!
Written on Jul 10, 2019 after therapy with Shawna for 3 weeks on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, lgbt, and self esteem
Shawna makes the therapeutic experience personalized and customized for me. She listens attentively, understands my concerns, and tries her best to help me tackle my issues with a variety of simple tools. Shawna is very knowledgeable, open-minded, and supportive. I'm an introvert but I feel comfortable sharing personal experiences with her. Thank you so much, Shawna, for being on this transformational journey with me. I definitely recommend Shawna for counseling.
Written on May 17, 2019 after therapy with Shawna for 7 months on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, parenting issues, self esteem, and career difficulties
I had issues at work that were impacting my mental health; Shawna has taught me skills to better manage my emotions. I wish I'd done this sooner.
Written on Apr 22, 2019 after therapy with Shawna for 3 weeks on issues concerning trauma and abuse
I have been working with Shawna for several months and she has provided good insights. The recommendations that she has made work. I have tried counselling previously with little success. I appreciate Shawna's support and direction.
Written on Mar 19, 2019 after therapy with Shawna for 5 months on issues concerning relationship issues, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, intimacy-related issues, and self esteem
Shawn is amazing! One of the top counsellors I've had. She's supportive, knowledgeable , super open minded and has an amazing ability to guide you towards the right direction.
Written on Mar 11, 2019 after therapy with Shawna for 1 month on issues concerning depression, addictions, trauma and abuse, grief, self esteem, and compassion fatigue
Shawna was fantastic - thank you!
Written on Feb 26, 2019 after therapy with Shawna for 3 weeks on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, coping with life changes, and coaching
Shawna has, in a very short time, helped me to see things more clearly. I feel more supported and are able to function with decreased pain.
Written on Feb 02, 2019 after therapy with Shawna for 2 weeks on issues concerning depression, and self esteem
Shawna has truly taken the time to help me re-build into the person I want to become. She's patient and tentative to your needs. I never felt as though she wasn't on board with my journey or process, and I think that's special.
Written on Jan 22, 2019 after therapy with Shawna for 3 months on issues concerning stress, anxiety, relationship issues, family conflicts, intimacy-related issues, self esteem, and career difficulties
Extremely open and easy to talk to. Very helpful!
Written on Dec 23, 2018 after therapy with Shawna for 2 weeks on issues concerning relationship issues, intimacy-related issues, and self esteem
Shawna is easy to communicate with, reassuring and timely in her responses. She provides resources to aid as well as personal projects to reinforce the techniques she proposes. Everything is given in a very practical and doable manner.
Written on Nov 14, 2018 after therapy with Shawna for 2 weeks on issues concerning relationship issues, and self esteem
Shawna has helped me through a particularly difficult time in my life and helped keep me safe checking in everyday.
Written on Oct 10, 2018 after therapy with Shawna for 2 weeks on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, trauma and abuse, intimacy-related issues, eating disorders, sleeping disorders, parenting issues, self esteem, and anger management
She's a counselor who understand my situation and always give me support.
In those days when I was upset, I thought about her words also her worksheet sent me before.
If I need help in future again, I'll find her as my counselor!!!
Written on Oct 10, 2018 after therapy with Shawna for 2 weeks on issues concerning depression, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, and self esteem
Shawna is an excellent counsellor - I really appreciate how she quickly picks up on what is making me anxious or stressed and is able to not only come up with a solution (or at least steps towards one), but is able to tailor her suggestions and explanations in ways that are relevant to my experience.
Written on Oct 07, 2018 after therapy with Shawna for 2 weeks on issues concerning stress, anxiety, self esteem, and anger management
Shawna has been very understanding and has offered advice that has helped me feel more balanced and in control of my circumstances.
Written on Sep 18, 2018 after therapy with Shawna for 2 weeks on issues concerning lgbt, relationship, intimacy-related, and self esteem
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