ABOUT ME
Hello! My name is Shawna and I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Advanced Certified Trauma Practitioner with over fifteen years of experience providing therapy services. I have worked in a wide range of therapeutic settings including: educational settings, intensive outpatient care, managing a private practice and organizations. I work with clients affected by depression, anxiety, substance use, trauma and relationship challenges from individual, group and family work.
Originally from Seattle, I moved to Detroit, MI to continue my education and raise a family. I received my graduate degree in Clinical Social Work at Wayne State University in Detroit and my Educational Specialist post-graduate degree in Educational Leadership at Oakland University where I am currently a student in the PhD. program.
My approach to therapy is client centered: clients are the experts on their lives and determine the direction and depth of therapy. Through a strengths-based and solutions-focused lens, I draw on multiple treatment modalities to guide clients in identifying strengths and developing treatment plans that accomplish their goals. Through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), I assist clients in exploring relationships among thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to aid in discovering dysfunctional thought patterns leading to self-destructive behaviors and beliefs. Using Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), I support clients through developing skills: mindfulness, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and emotion regulation with the goal of moving clients towards a life involving the capacity for experiencing joy and freedom.
Outside of my work as a therapist, I practice mindfulness to help me maintain balance. I also enjoy reading, biking and spending time with my family and pets traveling.
SPECIALTIES
Stress, Anxiety
Relationship issues
Self esteem
Depression
Coping with life changes
Also experienced in:
Addictions , LGBT , Family conflicts , Trauma and abuse , Intimacy-related issues , Parenting issues , Anger management , Career difficulties , Bipolar disorder , ADHD
Years of Experience: 15
Additional areas of focus: LGBT, Relationship issues, Family conflicts, Eating disorders, Sleeping disorders, Parenting issues, Anger management, Career difficulties, Bipolar disorder, Coping with life changes, Coaching, Compassion fatigue, ADHD, Attachment issues, Autism and Asperger Syndrome, Body image, Cancer, Caregiver issues and stress, Coping with natural or human-caused disaster, Divorce and separation, Eating and food-related issues, Emptiness, Family problems, First responder issues, Guilt and shame, Hospice and end-of-life counseling, Immigration issues, Impulsivity, Isolation / loneliness, Life purpose, Mood disorders, Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD, Panic disorder and panic attacks, Post-traumatic stress, Prejudice and discrimination, Self-harm, Self-love, Sexuality, Social anxiety and phobia, Somatization, Trichotillomania, Women's issues, Workplace issues, Young adult issues
Clinical approaches: Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Solution-Focused Therapy, Trauma-Focused Therapy
MI LMSW 6801086524
These quotes represent just a few of the many positive reviews that we have received for Dr. Shawna Boomgaard. We don't pay anyone to provide their review and they are all made voluntarily. Some people's experience receiving therapy with BetterHelp might be different.
I do not have enough time to adequately describe the benefit of my time with Shana Boomgaard. As a professional in Behavioral Health, it has been difficult for me to find someone with the comfort level, adaptability, breadth of knowledge, professional acumen, strength and humility to meet me where I am and help me move forward. Shawna is all of that. She is a great listener...she misses nothing and skillfully reframes and reminds me of my needs, desires and goals. She is gifted in using affirmative support to motivate me in the context of mental and physical fatigue, chronic pain, etc. She is worth the financial investment. My work with Shawna is subsidizing my future success. I was stuck. But with Shawna and prayer I see the potential for things I had hopes for before "life happened'!
Written on Mar 16, 2021 after therapy with Shawna for 2 weeks on issues concerning stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, coaching, and adhd
I am so grateful that I was matched with Shawna. She is exactly what I had hoped for in a counselor - kind, open-hearted, knowledgable, a great listener, super responsive and so, so positive. She has given me such helpful, practical tools and tips to work through my anxiety, and it has made a huge impact on my overall outlook. I always look forward to my sessions with Shawna, so appreciate that she has made my first experience with therapy such a positive one.
Written on Oct 18, 2020 after therapy with Shawna for 1 month on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, coping with life changes, and compassion fatigue
Shawna has been a great support so far. She’s very kind and has a warm personality that makes you feel comfortable talking to her. She’s a great listener and has been very encouraging of me making steps towards becoming the best version of myself! Highly recommend!
Written on Oct 01, 2020 after therapy with Shawna for 2 weeks on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, and relationship issues