Shawn Mcgivern, LMHC - Therapist in Massachusetts

About Shawn

Shawn Mcgivern is a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) in Massachusetts with 27 years of clinical experience. She centers sessions on practical skills and clear goals. Shawn aims to make therapy feel understandable and manageable for people under stress or facing big life changes.

She blends several approaches to match what each person needs. That may include acceptance and commitment strategies, attachment-focused work, cognitive-behavioral tools, or skills from dialectical behavior therapy.

How Shawn works

Sessions emphasize small steps that add up to steady change. Shawn helps people dealing with anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, grief, and relationship or intimacy-related concerns. She also supports those navigating identity questions, body image and eating issues, sleep problems, parenting strain, and career or life transition challenges.

LGBT concerns and coaching around goals are part of her practice as well. Shawn pays attention to background issues such as adoption and foster care, attachment difficulties, abandonment, caregiver stress, codependency, and divorce or separation. She notices patterns like avoidance, dependency, dissociation, and control struggles and brings straightforward tools to address them.

Her style is collaborative and affirming. People can expect focused conversation, skill practice, and attention to strengths. Shawn aims to help clients build clearer communication, healthier boundaries, and practical coping strategies.

Shawn lists 18 ways of working on the entry:

What Shawn works with

The areas below are the ones Shawn selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.

Stress, Anxiety
Relationship issues
Trauma and abuse

Also listed

Training and background

Register	LMHC
Years in practice	27
Languages	English
Session format	Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging
Country	Massachusetts

Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.

Online support options

Approach-driven care delivered online

Shawn commonly draws on acceptance and commitment therapy, attachment-based work, and cognitive behavioral techniques in online sessions. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) focuses on noticing thoughts and values-based action so people can move toward a life that matters to them. Attachment-based therapy looks at relational patterns and helps people understand how early bonds shape current connections and reactions. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) breaks problems into thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and teaches step-by-step skills to reduce anxiety and depressive patterns.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Shawn collaborates with each person to choose methods that match their goals, needs, and preferences. She adapts tools over time and checks in to see what is helping and what needs to change.

Online therapy offers flexibility across several formats: video calls for face-to-face conversation, phone sessions when bandwidth or camera use is a concern, live chat for shorter check-ins, and text-based messaging for ongoing support between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work, caregiving, or other busy schedules while keeping the focus on practical skills and steady progress.

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Common questions

What kinds of concerns does Shawn address?

Shawn works with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, grief, relationship and intimacy-related issues, eating and sleep problems, parenting strain, career worries, and identity concerns including LGBT issues.

What is Shawn's therapeutic style?

Her style is collaborative and practical. She uses clear goals, skill practice, and conversations that focus on small, manageable changes.

How much experience does Shawn have?

Shawn has 27 years of clinical experience as a licensed mental health counselor and brings long-term experience to a range of emotional and relationship challenges.

Where is Shawn based and what are her credentials?

She is licensed in Massachusetts and holds the credential MA LMHC, which stands for Master of Arts and Licensed Mental Health Counselor.

Which languages are supported in sessions?

Sessions are offered in English.

What session formats are available?

Sessions are offered as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different preferences and schedules.

How are costs and payment handled?

Cost varies with location and therapist availability. Sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.

How do I begin therapy with Shawn?

To begin, select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.

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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