New to Grow
I am Shanae Hudson, a licensed clinical social worker and the owner of Growth Explored, LLC. I work with adults who are navigating trauma, relationship challenges, identity shifts, and periods of transition that leave them feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, or stuck despite their efforts to move forward. My approach to therapy is integrative and body-informed. I draw from somatic, attachment-based, relational, narrative, and polyvagal-informed frameworks to help clients understand how past experiences shape present-day patterns. Together, we explore how stress, trauma, and relational wounds show up in the nervous system, in relationships, and in the stories you carry about yourself. Therapy is not about fixing what is broken, but about increasing awareness, choice, and compassion for the parts of you that learned to survive. I specialize in working with individuals who have a history of emotional neglect, relational trauma, or long-term stress and who may struggle with boundaries, emotional regulation, people pleasing, or disconnection from their body. Many of my clients are thoughtful, high-functioning, and deeply self-reflective, yet find themselves exhausted by carrying too much alone. In our work together, I offer a steady, collaborative space that moves at a pace aligned with your capacity. We focus on building internal resources, strengthening nervous system regulation, and developing practical tools that support sustainable change. My goal is to help you feel more grounded, connected, and empowered in your life, relationships, and sense of self, so that therapy becomes a supportive chapter rather than a permanent dependency.
In our first session together, here's what you can expect
The first session is a collaborative and grounding space focused on understanding you, not rushing to fix anything. We will explore what brings you to therapy, what you have already tried, and what feels most important right now. I will also introduce how I work, answer questions, and support you in feeling oriented, safe, and clear about next steps moving forward.
The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions
My greatest strength is integrating somatic, relational, attachment based, and narrative approaches in a way that is practical, compassionate, and deeply attuned. I am skilled at helping clients slow down, notice patterns, and reconnect with their internal cues while holding space for complex emotions and lived experiences. Clients often share that therapy with me feels grounding, clarifying, and supportive of lasting change rather than short term coping.
The clients I'm best positioned to serve
You may be my ideal client if you are new to therapeutic space and/or tired therapy before but are feeling stuck despite using everything in your therapeutic tool kit. Many of the people I work with are navigating relational wounds, burnout, identity shifts, or the long-term impact of trauma. You might struggle with boundaries, emotional regulation, or feeling disconnected from your body while still carrying a deep desire for growth, healing, and more ease in your relationships and daily life.
Somatic
I integrate somatic based approaches to help clients notice and understand how their body holds stress, emotions, and survival responses. Together, we gently explore physical sensations, movement, breath, and pacing to support nervous system regulation and increased body awareness. This approach helps clients build safety in their body, strengthen internal resources, and reconnect with their capacity for choice, presence, and self-trust.
Attachment-based
My work is informed by attachment theory and focuses on how early relationships shape emotional safety, boundaries, and connection in adulthood. I support clients in identifying attachment patterns, especially those shaped by inconsistency, neglect, or relational harm. Therapy becomes a space to practice secure relating, develop self-compassion, and build healthier ways of connecting with others while honoring personal needs and limits.
Relational
Relational therapy is central to my work and recognizes that healing happens through safe, attuned connection. I pay close attention to the therapeutic relationship and how patterns show up in real time, such as people pleasing, withdrawal, or fear of conflict. This allows us to explore relational dynamics with curiosity and care, supporting clients in developing more authentic, grounded, and reciprocal relationships outside of therapy.
Narrative
Narrative approaches support clients in examining the stories they carry about themselves, their relationships, and their experiences. I help clients externalize problems, identify survival-based narratives, and reconnect with strengths that may have been overshadowed by trauma or loss. Together, we work toward reshaping these stories in ways that honor resilience, agency, and personal meaning.
Polyvagal Therapy
Polyvagal informed therapy helps clients understand how their nervous system responds to stress, safety, and connection. I use this framework to support awareness of states such as shutdown, hypervigilance, or calm engagement, and to identify practices that promote regulation and flexibility. This approach empowers clients to work with their nervous system rather than against it, increasing capacity for emotional regulation, connection, and rest.