Licensed to practice in California and accepts 34 insurances. Specializes in LGBTQ, Trauma and PTSD, Women's Issues and 10 more.
(she/her)
Hi, I’m Shahnoor, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker offering decolonized, deeply insightful, trauma informed therapy for people who are ready to understand themselves more deeply, create meaningful change, and break out of a survival pattern. My work goes beyond simply managing symptoms. Together, we explore the patterns, protective responses, inner child wounds, relationship dynamics, and inherited beliefs that may be shaping your life beneath the surface. Through deep insight, compassionate shadow work, and honest self exploration, we make space for the parts of you that have been silenced, abandoned, or forced to survive. My approach is collaborative, culturally responsive, and grounded in the understanding that healing does not happen in isolation from identity, family, culture, power, or lived experience. Therapy with me is a space to untangle what belongs to you from what was imposed upon you, reconnect with your authentic self, and move through old wounds with greater clarity, self trust, and intention. Therapy with me is not about fixing you. You are not broken. It is about meeting yourself more fully, understanding the wisdom beneath your defenses, and transforming the wounds and patterns that keep you disconnected from your power. Together, we can uncover the roots, honor the ways you learned to survive, and build a life that feels more aligned, liberated, and fully your own.
In our first therapy appointment, we’ll take time to get to know each other and establish a foundation of trust. We’ll go over your history, exploring your past experiences, challenges, and any factors that may be impacting your current wellbeing. This session is a chance for me to listen to your story, understand your goals for therapy, and answer any questions you may have. Together, we'll discuss how we can work in partnership to support your healing, growth, and empowerment. It’s the first step toward creating a safe, nonjudgmental space for your journey.
One of my greatest strengths as a therapist is helping clients uncover the deeper patterns shaping their lives, then working together in session to create new ways of responding and experiment with them in the real world. I create space for meaningful self exploration while helping clients connect the dots between past experiences and present day struggles. From there, we work to integrate those insights into everyday life through intentional practice, reflection, and real world experimentation. Therapy becomes a space not only to understand yourself more deeply, but to try new ways of relating, responding, setting boundaries, and moving through the world. My style is warm, direct, and collaborative, balancing emotional depth with structure and practical guidance so that insight does not remain purely intellectual, but becomes a pathway toward meaningful and sustainable change. I practice from a decolonized, trauma informed, and intersectional feminist lens, honoring cultural, historical, and systemic contexts while remaining grounded in evidence-based care. I hold clients accountable with compassion and often incorporate between-session practices or homework to support integration and progress. I am committed to ongoing training and learning to ensure my work remains thoughtful, ethical, and effective.
I work best with clients who are navigating periods of transition, emotional overwhelm, or questions around identity, meaning, and wellbeing. My approach is trauma informed, culturally responsive, and holistic, grounded in an understanding of how personal experience is shaped by broader social and systemic contexts. I strive to create a safe, nonjudgmental space where clients can explore their experiences, build insight, and develop tools for growth, while honoring their resilience, strengths, and autonomy in the therapeutic process.
Cash - $130 per session
Aetna
Aetna - Allied Benefits
Aetna - ASR Health Benefits
Aetna - Luminare
Aetna - Medicare
Aetna - Moda
Aetna - WebTPA
Aetna – HealthEZ
All Savers
AvMed
Blue Shield
CalViva Health (Medi-Cal)
Carelon Behavioral Health (Commercial)
Community Health Plan of Imperial Valley (Medi-Cal)
Gold Coast Health Plan (Medi-Cal)
Gold Coast Health Plan Total Care Advantage (HMO D-SNP)
Golden Rule
Harvard Pilgrim/UnitedHealthcare
Health Net (Medi-Cal)
IHSS Healthy Workers
Optum
OptumHealth Complex Medical Conditions
Oscar
Oxford
Partnership HealthPlan of California (Medi-Cal)
San Francisco Health Plan (Medi-Cal)
Santa Clara Family Health Plan - Medi-Cal
Surest (formerly Bind)
Sutter Health Plan
United Medical Resources
UnitedHealthcare Life Insurance
UnitedHealthcare Shared Services
UnitedHealthcare StudentResources
UnitedHealthcare/Optum
I practice integrative therapy, meaning I don’t rely on a single approach or formula. Instead, I thoughtfully weave together evidence based methods to meet you where you are and respond to what you need in the moment. This allows our work to be flexible, personalized, and deeply attuned without losing structure or direction. Integrative therapy creates momentum. We combine insight, practical tools, and values based action to help you move through challenges efficiently and intentionally, using the approaches that will be most effective for you and not a one-size-fits-all model.
I use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help clients break free from unhelpful patterns of overthinking, avoidance, and self criticism, and move toward a life that feels meaningful and aligned. ACT focuses on building psychological flexibility and learning how to make room for difficult thoughts and emotions without letting them run the show. In our work together, ACT becomes a practical, empowering framework for clarifying what truly matters to you and taking intentional action, even when things feel uncomfortable. This approach is especially powerful in helping clients create momentum, confidence, and real life change that continues well beyond our sessions.
I take a structured yet flexible approach to Solution Focused Brief Therapy, helping clients identify clear, actionable goals from the start. We work together to break challenges into manageable steps, and I track progress using spreadsheets to keep everything organized and measurable. I also assign practical homework, whether it’s trying a new coping skill, having a tough conversation, or engaging in self reflection so clients can apply what we discuss in real life. My goal is to keep therapy forward focused and empowering, helping clients build on their strengths and see real changes.
I use a strengths based approach to help clients recognize and build on the skills, resilience, and wisdom they already carry, often beneath layers of stress, self doubt, or burnout. Rather than focusing solely on what’s “wrong,” this approach highlights what’s working, what has helped you survive and adapt, and how those strengths can be intentionally applied to your current goals.
My psychodynamic approach focuses on helping clients understand how early experiences, attachment patterns, inner child wounds, and unconscious beliefs may be shaping their present day emotions, relationships, and behaviors. Together, we explore recurring patterns, protective strategies, and the deeper meaning beneath current struggles. I help clients build insight into why certain patterns developed and how they may have once served as forms of protection. From there, we collaborate in session to create new ways of responding, relating, and making choices, then experiment with those changes in everyday life. The goal is not only greater self awareness, but lasting change rooted in a deeper understanding of oneself.
5 ratings with written reviews
January 7, 2026
Helpful, informative and very kind.
October 16, 2025
Shahnoor is such a lovely provider! I'm so glad to have her as my therapist. She is caring, incisive, and open-minded, and she's especially a stellar therapist because of her insight into gender and sexuality based on her training from UCLA, which was something I was looking for in a therapist. I feel I'm freely able to confide in her and work comfortably together towards my therapeutic goals. I highly recommend her.
June 11, 2025
Shahnoor always makes me feel safe and welcome. I feel comfortable opening up as well as asking questions. I always learn the science behind something during our sessions, which I love as a naturally curious person! She provides real application for my goals and for managing my mental health conditions. This is the best therapy experience I have had thus far in my life. :)