Lisa Shaw
Hi, I’m Lisa Shaw, the therapist and owner behind Graceborne Counseling, LLC. I earned my master’s degree from Geneva College in Pennsylvania, with training in Mental Health Counseling and Marriage & Family Counseling. After graduate school, I began working in the field of addiction and recovery, which became the foundation of my professional career and has remained an important part of my work for more than 20 years. Over time, my experience has expanded to include trauma, relationships, family dynamics, relational wounds, and other complex experiences that can leave people feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or disconnected from themselves.
I feel therapy is a working partnership and do not put myself in the role of expert, but of a guide.
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Pennsylvania, a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) in Ohio, and a Licensed Professional Counselor with Mental Health Service Provider designation (LPC-MHSP) in Tennessee. I also hold advanced addiction credentials as a Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CAADC) and Master Addiction Counselor (MAC). My approach is collaborative, trauma-informed, strengths-based, and individualized. I believe counseling works best when people feel respected, understood, and able to bring their whole selves into the room. I bring clinical knowledge, thoughtful reflection, curiosity, and therapeutic tools while honoring each client’s lived experience, values, strengths, and goals.
First session
Let's get to know each other! I believe it is important for my client and me to take some time to build trust and authenticity. I use the first few sessions to take the time needed to understand the concern from the client's perspective and readiness to address. I believe it is important to partner in the development of treatment goals and would encourage my clients to be an active participant in all aspects of therapy.
Strengths
I bring compassion, curiosity, honesty, and a strong ability to sit with complexity. I have spent more than 20 years working in behavioral health, particularly with addiction, trauma, relationships, and family dynamics, which has taught me that people’s struggles rarely exist in isolation. I tend to notice patterns, connections, and themes that may be difficult to see when you are living inside of them. At the same time, I do not believe it is my job to tell clients who they are or what they should do. I try to create a space where people feel safe enough to be honest, challenged enough to grow, and respected enough to remain the expert on their own lives. I also bring a practical side to therapy. I value insight, but I want counseling to help people understand themselves in ways that translate into meaningful change outside of the therapy room. Most importantly, I want clients to feel that they do not have to carry everything alone.
Ideal clients
I have a passion for working in the addiction field. This includes working with the individual who is struggling with aspects of addiction, as well as the family and friends who have been impacted by a loved one's addictive patterns. Due to taking a mental health approach, I also address the many co-occurring or underlying issues directly related to addiction and trauma, including anxiety, depression, PTSD, grief, familial conflict, self-esteem, unhealthy relationship patterns, ADHD, and mood disorders. I also specialize in helping women (those identified with the feminine) build internal strength and a healthier identity.
Treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I’d describe your use of CBT as integrated and collaborative, rather than making it sound like you run every session from a worksheet. I use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) as one part of an individualized, trauma-informed approach to counseling. CBT can help us identify the thoughts, beliefs, and patterns that influence emotions, behaviors, relationships, and the way you respond to difficult situations. Together, we may explore automatic thoughts, underlying beliefs, and coping patterns, consider whether they are still serving you, and develop more balanced or helpful ways of responding. I also use CBT to help clients build practical skills for managing anxiety, depression, stress, self-criticism, and other concerns. I do not use CBT to simply tell clients to “think differently.” I am interested in understanding where beliefs and coping strategies came from, how they may have helped you survive or adapt, and whether they still fit the life you want to build. CBT is often integrated with other approaches, including trauma-focused work and EMDR, depending on each client’s needs and goals.
EMDR
I use EMDR as an integrated part of therapy rather than as a separate or one-size-fits-all treatment. When appropriate, I incorporate EMDR into the broader counseling process to help clients work through distressing experiences, beliefs, emotions, and patterns that continue to affect them in the present. My EMDR work is often thematically based. Rather than focusing only on one isolated memory, we may explore connections among experiences that share similar emotions, beliefs, relationship patterns, or themes across different periods of a client’s life. This can help clients better understand how past experiences continue to shape current reactions and relationships. I place a strong emphasis on preparation, safety, pacing, and readiness before reprocessing. EMDR is always tailored to the individual, and I integrate it with other therapeutic approaches based on the client’s goals and needs.
Location
Virtual sessions
In-person sessions117 PA-18, New Castle, PA 16105, Suite C
Identifies as
Top specialties
Other specialties
Licensed in
- OhioLicense E.2202841
- PennsylvaniaLicense PC005463
- TennesseeLicense 7608