As a licensed clinician, I empower individuals and families to discover and utilize tools to achieve their emotional health goals. Counseling goals are developed in collaboration with the client, and services are delivered in a way that respects the client’s cultural context and supports their individual values. I honor clients' faith perspectives and support their important family values. With over 25 years of experience as a therapist, I bring a wealth of expertise to my work. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor and Supervisor (LPC-S) with more than twenty-five years of experience. I hold a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Counseling. I regularly attend professional conferences and workshops to stay informed on best practices, ensuring I provide the highest level of care to the clients and families I serve. On a personal note, I consider my role as "Mom in Chief" my top priority. I enjoy volunteering in my local community, hiking, attending musical theater, and traveling.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
I provide supportive feedback and compassionate care as clients work to identify vulnerabilities and strengthen areas of growth.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
My clients find me relatable and genuine, as I bring my authentic self to the space, including a sense of humor and laughter. I consider it a core part of my life's mission to help individuals and families thrive.
Describe the client(s) you are best positioned to serve.
Throughout my career, I have worked in various settings, including child welfare agencies, inpatient psychiatric hospitals, community mental health clinics, and college and university environments. I have had the privilege of working with clients from diverse backgrounds facing a wide range of concerns. I have a particular interest in supporting clients who have experienced trauma, grief, and loss, as well as families navigating the challenges of blending, adoption, and foster parenting. Additionally, I enjoy working with children and adolescents dealing with disruptive behaviors, inattention, and those who have survived abuse and neglect.
About Dr. Shantha Stokes
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VirtualMy treatment methods
Psychodynamic
I approach human concerns and interactions through a psychodynamic lens, seeking to understand a client’s history, experiences, traumas, and early life attachments. By helping clients connect the dots between past experiences and present functioning, I lay the foundation for a deeper understanding of the self, including one’s drives, motives, and reactions. I use the client-therapist relationship to explore transference and dynamics that mirror the client’s experiences in other relationships. With increased self-awareness, clients are empowered to create new, intentional experiences and seek corrective, affirming experiences that enable them to live as their authentic selves.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I integrate CBT and other solution-focused interventions to promote symptom relief. I work with clients to build their repertoire of coping skills and teach techniques that they can incorporate into their daily lives to address distressing thoughts and behaviors, all while working toward a better quality of life.
Trauma Informed Care
We all experience trauma in different forms, with varying impacts on our well-being. I aim to promote change through a trauma-informed lens, focusing on understanding and responding to the effects of trauma. I am sensitive to the importance of creating emotional safety and carefully consider how to implement interventions that address the client’s unique needs related to physical, psychological, environmental, and emotional safety, both within and outside of the therapy space, while actively working to avoid re-traumatizing the client.
Couples Counseling
In my work with couples, we begin by identifying specific areas for improvement. Sessions are designed to foster a deeper understanding of each person’s needs—both spoken and unspoken—while cultivating compassion for each person’s unique history, which shapes both helpful and unhelpful patterns of behavior. Homework assignments outside of sessions are designed to build essential skills that support the relationship and establish healthier, more supportive ways of interacting. Through a lens of compassion, couples are encouraged to develop a deeper understanding of themselves as individuals while strengthening their connection as a couple.
Family Therapy
At the beginning of family therapy, we will identify areas for improvement and patterns of behavior that are contributing to distress and disconnection. An insight-oriented approach will guide family members in creating a space to express and share their needs, while solution-focused techniques will be used to address concerns that require more immediate attention. Through a compassionate lens, families are encouraged to gain a deeper understanding of themselves as individuals, strengthen their relationships, improve communication, manage conflicts, and foster the changes needed to build a supportive family system.