About Shakina
Shakina Small is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) with 26 years of experience. She offers person-focused therapy that centers the client's goals and strengths. Parents reading this can expect direct, caring support aimed at practical change.
Shakina uses approaches that help people talk through relationship and family strain. She draws on Client-Centered methods to listen and build trust, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify patterns that keep problems going. Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Emotionally-Focused Therapy are used when emotions and communication need clearer tools.
How Shakina works
Her work covers a wide range of concerns including trauma and abuse, addictions, parenting challenges, anger, intimacy-related issues, self-esteem, bipolar concerns, ADHD, and coping with life changes. She also supports people facing abandonment, attachment and blended family issues, body image, codependency, divorce and separation, domestic violence, and fatherhood issues. Practice in Pennsylvania has included many settings over the years.
That variety informs how she adapts sessions to what a person needs now. Expect practical strategies, skill building, and conversations that aim to change day-to-day thinking and behavior. Sessions are offered in English and delivered through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging.
Starting therapy involves completing a short matching questionnaire and scheduling a first appointment.
Shakina lists 10 ways of working on the entry:
What Shakina works with
The areas below are the ones Shakina selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Adoption and foster care
- Anger management
- Attachment issues
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Career difficulties
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Emptiness
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Infidelity
- Intellectual disability
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Parenting issues
- Post-traumatic stress
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Young adult issues
Training and background
| Register | LPC |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 26 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | Pennsylvania |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
Online approaches that focus on relationships and behavior
Client-Centered Therapy puts the person's experience at the center. The therapist listens deeply, reflects what is heard, and helps clients find their own solutions. This approach is useful for parents and partners who need a nonjudgmental space to sort out feelings and priorities.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at how thoughts, feelings, and actions connect. Sessions break down unhelpful thinking and teach practical strategies to change behaviors and mood. CBT is often chosen for anxiety, depression, ADHD-related struggles, and coping with life changes.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) offers tools for managing intense emotions and improving communication. It includes skills for distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and better interpersonal effectiveness, which can help with anger, addiction triggers, and relationship conflicts.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to choose methods that match their goals, needs, and preferences. That conversation shapes which techniques are emphasized in sessions.
Online therapy is offered through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to make care more accessible. Video calls let people use visual cues and deeper back-and-forth. Phone sessions use less bandwidth and can fit a short break during the day. Live chat or text-based messaging works well for quick check-ins, written reflections, or when typing helps someone organize thoughts. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy lives and keep momentum between appointments.
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Common questions
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A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
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