Patrick Shanahan, LCSW

Patrick Shanahan is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) licensed in Missouri with 44 years of experience. He works with adults on relationship problems, grief, anger, self-esteem, depression, stress, anxiety, addictions, trauma and abuse, and related life challenges. He also assists people with parenting and caregiving stresses, career questions, and intimacy-related issues.

He believes people are often self-correcting and can move forward once obstacles are identified. He pays attention to a person's value system and cultural background when helping them find direction. He has studied comparative religions and cultures to better understand diverse perspectives.

Early in his career he created and ran an outpatient clinic attached to a runaway and homeless youth shelter. For 18 years he provided case management, individual therapy, and family therapy both in the shelter and out in the community. He supervised paid staff and graduate students and worked with a university on research to refine clinical methods.

Over his career he practiced brief family therapy, problem solving therapy, structural and strategic systems theory, hypnotherapy, cognitive behavioral methods, communication-focused work, and addiction therapies. He completed 29 hours toward a Ph.D. in family therapy and was offered a fellowship at Washington University’s doctoral program.

He later provided professional Christian therapy in an outpatient group and spent 18 years working in managed care where he helped members use mental health benefits and provided phone-based therapy and crisis intervention. He has also worked in outpatient office settings and community programs.

How his approaches translate to online work