Shannon Guilmette
I came into the trauma world as a sexual assault counselor and advocate for my local YWCA. This journey informed my graduate degree choice of social work, as social work addresses the complexity of the systems that play into and inform our lives. By this virtue, I am intentional with engaging in a bottom-up approach. This looks like leaning into identifying our physical cues and noticing and naming what we need and how we need to care for ourselves and our emotions throughout our ongoing experiences. Having an understanding of our body and a plan of action for best meeting it's needs helps to empower a space in which we can be creative and curious about our cognitive structuring and perceptions. We are then more able to develop an authentic understanding of our truth and desires as well as the strength to facilitate a plan of action for uncomfortable change. The social worker in me means also promoting resources and communal structuring to best support your journey. Post-grad, I have a history of working two years in a trauma partial hospitalization program and coming on three years of experience in individual therapy.
I am a wholesome, I'd like to say somewhat humorous, and empathetic provider which creates a comfortable space to confront compassionately your discomforts and dysphoria from a human lens.
First session
During our first session we will set the tone for expectations, consider what made now the time to begin therapy, become curious about what your vision of a content-enough life looks like to assist in informing goals and identifying historic barriers, as well as reflect on your, your family, and community history. It is helpful to also discuss what has worked well and what has felt ineffective in past therapy.
Strengths
I am a wholesome, I'd like to say somewhat humorous, and empathetic provider which creates a comfortable space to confront compassionately your discomforts and dysphoria from a human lens. I am mindful of physical cues of discomfort, pain, joy, dissociation, and care for those observations in the moment. I provide guidance through an interactive approach. What this looks like is reading together, completing worksheets together, engaging in somatic soothing together. I believe therapy does not stop at the end of the hour and encourage homework at the end of every session.
Ideal clients
My passion has been empowering adult survivors of childhood trauma to heal themselves and their inner child. I have worked with survivors of emotional, physical, sexual, and political trauma.
Treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
We utilize CBT for skill development for creating an understanding of how our emotions, thoughts, behaviors, and physical experience interact and inform negative feedback cycles. We use worksheets and are hands-on in this approach.
Somatic
Intentional body mindfulness practices and somatic soothing are utilized to empower ourselves to notice and respond adaptively the first signals of escalation outside of our window of tolerance, assist in identification of triggers, facilitate emotional identification, and inform the development of a compassionate and trusting relationship with our body. Somatic soothing practices assist with decreasing autonomic arousal and the scaffolding of distress tolerance.
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
DBT skill development has multi-faceted benefits for emotional identification, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and mindfulness skill developments. We utilize DBT skills in session to assist in building window of tolerance and promoting authentic and a healthy communication style (both internally and externally).
Psychoeducation
I utilize psychoeducational materials to help develop a compassionate and informed understanding of what historically has influenced our negative assumptions and thereby our behaviors so that we can involve the full-picture when engaging in CBT thought records. Additionally, it is useful and encouraging to understand how exactly it is our mind and body interact - what happens when we engage therapeutic skills and why.
Trauma-Informed Care
I am certified in Traumatic Stress Studies through the Trauma Research Foundation. I have history in working as a therapist for a Trauma Partial Hospitalization Program and as a sexual assault crisis counselor and advocate. I utilized a mixed-modality approach to affirm a individual-centered experience.
Location
Virtual sessions
Identifies as
Top specialties
Serves
Licensed in
- District of ColumbiaLicense LC200001370
- FloridaLicense SW20425
- VirginiaLicense 0904019842