Shannan Marano, ACA

Shannan Marano is an ACA counsellor with three years of clinical experience. She has worked across Aboriginal Medical Services, women's refuge centres and employment services. Shannan focuses on stress, anxiety, addictions, relationship difficulties, trauma and coping with life changes. She aims to meet people where they are and supports them to make practical changes.

Shannan uses a mix of approaches tailored to each person. Sessions are adapted to suit individual needs, combining talking, practical tools and reflection. She emphasises respect, sensitivity and compassion in every conversation.

Her background includes frontline roles in community settings that bring practical insights to therapy. That experience shapes how she notices safety, communication patterns and the everyday challenges people face. Shannan draws on this when helping with family of origin issues, grief, caregiver stress and problems with substance use.

She often works with attachment and relationship concerns and supports people dealing with abandonment, isolation and difficulty trusting others. Shannan also supports people addressing body image, eating concerns and guilt or shame, helping them to develop clearer values and steadier coping skills.

Shannan encourages small, manageable steps and focuses on what a person can do between sessions. She invites clients to set realistic goals and reviews progress together. If you want a practical, compassionate counsellor who listens first, Shannan aims to provide that steady support.

How therapeutic approaches translate to online work

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, focuses on helping people clarify their values and take small, meaningful steps towards them. It can help with anxiety, stress and finding direction during big life changes. Attachment-Based Therapy pays attention to how early relationships shape current trust and closeness. It can be useful for people struggling with abandonment, communication problems or repeated relationship patterns.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will talk with each person about goals, preferences and practical needs, and together they will decide which methods to try first. That collaborative process is reviewed as progress is made and plans are adjusted where needed.

Session formats are not specified in the biography, so please confirm current options before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, reduce travel time and allow shorter check-ins when needed. It can also let people use quieter surroundings or avoid being on camera if that helps them engage. Appropriately qualified therapists aim to adapt their methods so therapy can be effective even when not meeting in person.