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LMHC

Shawn Mcgivern, LMHC

  • Experience27 years
  • LocationMassachusetts
  • Focus areasStress and Anxiety, Relationship, and Trauma and abuse
  • Therapy approachesInternal Family Systems and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
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About Shawn

Shawn Mcgivern is a licensed mental health counselor with 27 years of clinical experience who blends relational sensitivity with practical, evidence-based methods.

Background and approach

She centers therapy on helping people understand their inner emotional landscape while addressing concerns such as anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, eating and sleeping problems, relationship and intimacy issues, and identity-related concerns. Her work also includes coaching around career challenges, perfectionism, procrastination, and imposter feelings.

Shawn emphasizes clients' strengths and creates an affirming space that honors each person’s unique journey. She draws from Internal Family Systems alongside Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, as well as attachment-informed and client-centered approaches, to tailor interventions to individual needs.

Areas of additional focus include grief, LGBT matters, family and parenting challenges, abandonment and attachment issues, codependency and communication problems, and adjustment around life changes. Based in Massachusetts, Shawn uses a collaborative, empathetic style to help people build self-understanding, improve communication, and develop practical tools for coping and growth.

Her practice aims to foster resilience and clearer decision-making while supporting clients through both day-to-day stressors and deeper emotional wounds.

Bringing relational and evidence-based approaches online

Shawn frequently integrates Internal Family Systems and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy into online work. Internal Family Systems explores internal parts and how they interact, helping people understand conflicting inner voices and heal wounded aspects of self. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy focuses on clarifying values and building psychological flexibility to manage difficult thoughts and feelings while pursuing meaningful life goals. Attachment-Based Therapy also informs her work by examining relational patterns and how early bonds shape current relationships and responses.

Choosing the right approach is part of the collaborative process. Shawn partners with clients to assess needs, preferences, and goals and then adapts methods over time to find the best fit rather than using a one-size-fits-all path. This flexibility helps tailor interventions to both immediate concerns and longer-term growth aims.

Online sessions are offered through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging, which can make scheduling easier for people with busy lives or limited local options. These formats support ongoing work on communication, emotion regulation, trauma recovery, and values-based change while providing practical access and continuity of care.

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of concerns does Shawn commonly address?
Shawn works with a wide range of issues including stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, grief, relationship and intimacy-related problems, eating and sleeping difficulties, self-esteem, anger, and career or life transition challenges.
What is her therapeutic approach and style?
Her style is collaborative and empathetic, integrating Internal Family Systems with ACT, CBT, attachment-based and client-centered techniques to meet each client's needs.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She brings 27 years of professional experience in mental health practice and uses that background to guide treatment planning and interventions.
What credentials and location are associated with this therapist?
She is a licensed mental health counselor with the designation MA LMHC 6656 and practices from Massachusetts.
Can sessions be conducted in other languages or with international clients?
Sessions are offered in English, and she is not currently accepting international clients.
Which session formats are available for online work?
Available formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to accommodate different preferences and schedules.
How does payment and cost work for sessions?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What are the steps to begin working with Shawn?
To get started, select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Stress, AnxietyRelationship issuesTrauma and abuseGriefDepression

Also works with

LGBTFamily conflictsIntimacy-related issuesEating disordersSleeping disordersParenting issuesAnger managementSelf esteemCareer difficultiesCoping with life changesCoaching

Additional focus areas

AbandonmentAdoption and foster careAging and geriatric issuesAttachment issuesAvoidant personalityBlended family issuesBody imageCaregiver issues and stressCodependencyCommitment issuesCommunication problemsControl issuesDependent personalityDissociationDivorce and separationEating and food-related issuesEmptinessFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsFatherhood issuesFirst responder issuesForgivenessGuilt and shameImmigration issuesImpulsivityInfidelityIsolation / lonelinessJealousyLife purposeMidlife crisisMoney and financial issuesMood disordersMulticultural concernsNarcissismObsessions, compulsions, and OCDPanic disorder and panic attacksPhobiasPost-traumatic stressPrejudice and discriminationSeasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-loveSex addictionSexual assault and abuseSexual dysfunctionSexualitySocial anxiety and phobiaSomatizationTrichotillomaniaWomen's issuesWorkplace issues

Therapeutic approaches

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)Attachment-Based TherapyClient-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)Existential TherapyGottman MethodImago Relationship TherapyJungian TherapyMindfulness TherapyMotivational InterviewingNarrative TherapyPsychodynamic TherapySolution-Focused TherapySomatic TherapyTrauma-Focused TherapyInternal Family Systems

Experience

27+ years

Licensed

Massachusetts

Languages

English