Patrick Shanahan, LCSW

Patrick Shanahan is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with 44 years of experience who helps people manage relationship strain, jealousy, grief, and other emotional struggles. He focuses on practical steps people can use right away. Patrick aims to help clients move past stuck places and toward clearer direction that fits their values.

He believes people are often self-correcting when given the right support. Patrick uses straightforward problem solving and conversation to help people notice patterns and try new ways of relating. He draws on many approaches to match what each person needs rather than one fixed method.

Early in his career he created and ran an outpatient clinic attached to a runaway and homeless youth shelter. There he provided case management and individual and family therapy while also supervising staff and graduate students. That work included outreach in the community and research with a local university to improve clinical methods.

Patrick later spent many years helping managed care members use mental health benefits, offering phone therapy and crisis intervention. He has also worked in outpatient office settings and provided professional Christian counseling in a group practice.

His training includes work toward a Ph.D. in family therapy and a fellowship offer from Washington University, and he completed 29 hours toward that doctoral program. Patrick brings decades of clinical experience and a flexible, values-based approach to help people address anger, addiction, parenting stress, trauma, intimacy concerns, and life transitions.

Therapeutic approaches and how online work can help

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on clarifying personal values and taking small committed steps toward those values. It helps when worry, shame, or avoidance keep someone from making meaningful changes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at the link between thoughts, feelings, and actions and teaches practical skills to reduce anxiety, depression, and unhelpful behavior. Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) focuses on how people connect in relationships and helps them notice patterns in emotional responses that affect intimacy and trust.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to pick or combine methods that match goals, needs, and preferences. That process starts with talking about what matters and what has or has not helped before.

Practical benefits of online therapy can include easier scheduling, fewer travel demands, and the ability to fit sessions into a busy day. Because session formats were not specified in the biography, confirm current options before booking to know what is offered. Online work can still include focused skill practice, conversational problem solving, and check-ins that fit into everyday routines.