Shannon Salgado
About
As a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist , I utilize a somatic and holistic approach to support young adults and adults healing from trauma, anxiety, and relational stress.
What stands out about my therapeutic approach is the integration of somatic, attachment-based, and systemic family therapy work to address both the emotional and physiological impacts of trauma.
My work integrates mind-body awareness, attachment-focused therapy, and systemic interventions to help clients reconnect with emotional and physical sensations, regulate the nervous system, and develop healthier patterns in relationships and daily functioning. I support clients in building insight, resilience, and a greater sense of internal safety and self-compassion.
First session
In your first session, you can expect a supportive and nonjudgmental space where we begin by talking about what brought you to therapy and what you’re hoping to change or improve. I will ask questions about your current concerns, history, relationships, and symptoms so I can better understand your experience and begin developing a treatment plan that fits your needs. We will also start identifying immediate coping strategies if you’re feeling overwhelmed, and you’re welcome to go at your own pace—there is no pressure to share more than you’re comfortable with. By the end of the session, we will collaborate on initial goals for therapy and discuss how we can move forward together.
Strengths
What stands out about my therapeutic approach is the integration of somatic, attachment-based, and systemic family therapy work to address both the emotional and physiological impacts of trauma. I focus on helping clients understand how past experiences are held in the body and show up in relationships, while building practical skills for emotional regulation and healthier communication patterns. Clients often report increased self-awareness, improved ability to manage anxiety and triggers, and greater confidence in setting boundaries and expressing needs. My goal is to support meaningful, lasting change by addressing both insight and nervous system regulation.
Ideal clients
I am best positioned to serve young adults and mid life adults experiencing anxiety, depression, and unresolved childhood or mid-life trauma, particularly those impacted by family conflict, emotional neglect, or attachment disruptions. I work well with clients who are motivated for insight, emotional growth, and behavior change, and who seek to improve relationships, regulate emotions, and break longstanding relational and generational patterns.
Treatment methods
Attachment-based
I use attachment theory in practice to conceptualize how early caregiver relationships shape a client’s emotional regulation, self-worth, and relational patterns in adulthood. In sessions, I apply this framework by identifying attachment wounds, exploring relational triggers in current relationships (such as family or partners), and using corrective emotional experiences, validation, and secure therapeutic attunement to help clients develop more secure internal working models.
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
I use Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) to help clients identify, access, and process primary emotions underlying anxiety, shame, and attachment injuries, particularly those rooted in early relational trauma. In practice, I guide clients in recognizing negative interaction cycles and reshaping emotional responses within relationships to promote secure attachment, self-compassion, and healthier emotional expression.
Family Therapy
As a licensed marriage and family therapist with years of experience, I utilize trauma-informed and systemic approaches in family therapy to help clients understand how relational patterns, communication cycles, and past trauma contribute to current emotional and behavioral symptoms. I integrate evidence-based interventions such as CBT, structural family therapy, and attachment-focused work to support families in improving emotional safety, strengthening communication, and developing healthier interaction patterns.
Somatic
As an LMFT, you can integrate somatic therapy within a systemic and relational framework by helping clients understand how trauma impacts emotional regulation, attachment, relationships, communication patterns, and the body’s stress responses. Rather than focusing only on cognitive insight, somatic work helps clients experience safety and regulation physically and emotionally.
Christian Counseling
As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, I integrate Christian counseling principles when requested by clients while maintaining a systemic, client-centered approach. My work recognizes that individuals do not exist in isolation; rather, their emotional, relational, spiritual, and behavioral experiences are influenced by family systems, relationship patterns, cultural contexts, and faith communities.
Location
Virtual sessions