About Me

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Hi, I’m Shannel. I’m so glad you’re here.

I’m a California Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and relationship expert, and I’ve spent the past 16 years helping clients build agency and design a life that feels genuinely theirs.

I’m trained in EMDR and Gottman Method Couples Therapy, and I work with millennial women and couples navigating the anxieties and challenges that come with modern motherhood, dating, career burnout, and romantic relationships.

My style is to meet you where you are — whether in your pajamas, sipping your favorite drink, baby alongside you, or just having one of those days — so therapy feels personal and relational.

Clients describe me as easy to connect with and skilled at making sense of what feels complicated. I listen for the themes in your story, connect the dots, and help you see the bigger picture. I’m laid-back, direct, and fully engaged. I’ll challenge you when necessary and stand fiercely in your corner.

As a first-generation, multicultural woman of Iranian and Romani Gypsy descent, I deeply appreciate how history, culture, and family shape identity and self-understanding. 

I pay attention to how you move through the world, the stories you’ve lived, the invisible weight you’ve carried, and what makes you feel alive. I value what makes you uniquely you, and I’ll share what I notice, helping you see yourself and your path forward in ways you may not have seen before.

Alongside what brings you in, I also help you distinguish anxiety from your own inner knowing, move through overwhelm without getting caught in unhelpful thoughts and reactions, and notice how family, culture, and society have shaped your expectations. I weave in my expertise in attachment and relationship patterns, along with principles from Buddhist philosophy, to help you meet life’s uncertainty, grief, and change with greater compassion and equanimity. 

My husband and I spent 13 memorable years in San Francisco before deciding we wanted an adventure. In 2023, we packed up and set off to travel for a year with our two kids, which eventually led us to move to Mexico for two years. We’re now calling the small, beautiful beach town of San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, home.

I’m drawn to the ways we can reconnect with simpler roots and feel more grounded in ourselves through travel, dance and music (I’m all about ’90s hip hop, deep house, and neo soul), creative expression, and connecting with nature.

If you’re ready to explore what’s next, I’d love to chat. You can schedule a free 30-minute consultation to see if we might be a good fit.

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Education

  • M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy

    University of San Diego (2010)

  • B.A in Psychology

    University of California, San Diego (2008)

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Training & Modalities

  • EMDRIA Certified EMDR Therapist

  • Gottman Level 1 and 2 certification with 10 year of clinical experience

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Gifford Clinic, UCSD

  • Psychodynamic Therapy, Family Service Agency of Marin

  • Facilitator for Escalation Workshop, One Love Foundation

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Experience

  • Gay Couples Institute of San Francisco, couples therapist

  • Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM), therapist for college students

  • UC San Diego Gifford Clinic, practicum outpatient therapy for high-risk patients

  • El Camino Hospital, Mountain View, therapist intern and group facilitator in the outpatient dual diagnosis program

  • Family Service Agency of Marin, individual and family therapy for underserved populations

“Be curious. Welcome groundlessness. Lighten up and relax. Offer chaos a cup of tea.” -Pema Chodron

Take the First Step

Thanks for your interest in working with me. Please fill out this brief form and be in touch within 48 hours to schedule a free 30-miute phone consultation.

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