Shawna Chandler, LCSW

Shawna Chandler is a California licensed clinical social worker who helps people facing stress, anxiety, relationship strain, trauma and abuse, low self-esteem, and depression. She speaks plainly and focuses on helping clients take realistic first steps toward feeling more stable and in control.

She creates a warm, nonjudgmental space where clients can talk through difficult thoughts and feelings. Sessions aim to identify concrete patterns that make daily life harder and to try small changes that add up over time. Shawna emphasizes practical skills alongside talking things through so clients can test new ways of coping between meetings.

Her practice brings together several established approaches including acceptance and commitment ideas, cognitive behavior strategies, client-centered listening, dialectical skills work, and EMDR for trauma processing. Those methods are used to match what a person needs in the moment rather than following a single script.

With around 20 years of experience, she draws on work across different settings to support people through transitions and losses. Shawna often helps clients facing abandonment concerns, caregiver stress, blended family issues, divorce and separation, and the emotional challenges of aging.

She works with people on more specific struggles too, such as communication and commitment issues, codependency, personality-related patterns, and recovery from domestic violence. Shawna encourages steady, doable progress and stays focused on what matters most to each person.

How approach and online work come together

Shawna uses acceptance and commitment therapy to help people notice painful thoughts and then choose actions that match their values. That approach can be useful for anxiety, depression, and life transitions because it emphasizes small, value-driven steps.

She also uses cognitive behavioral therapy to identify unhelpful thinking patterns and try practical behavior changes. CBT is often helpful for addressing worry, low mood, and repetitive habits that keep problems in place.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Shawna will talk with the client about goals and preferences, try methods that fit, and adjust over time based on what helps most. The therapist and client decide together which strategies to use in sessions and between them.

If you are considering online work, confirm the current session options before booking since formats are set by the therapist and platform. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed. It also lets people use tools like in-session skill practice, shared worksheets, and paced trauma work without changing day-to-day routines.