About Shawna
Shawna Pankonin is a licensed professional counselor with 14 years of experience helping people facing stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and relationship struggles. She works with issues like parenting, grief, self-esteem, career concerns, bipolar challenges, and LGBT-related stress. Shawna speaks plainly and aims to make therapy feel doable for busy, worried people.
Her approach starts with listening. Shawna uses a client-centered style that treats each person as the expert on their life.
How Shawna works
She tailors techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, narrative work, and solution-focused methods to match a person’s goals. Sessions are practical and goal-oriented, with time for reflection and problem-solving. Shawna brings experience from many settings across Mississippi, including schools, youth courts, residential care, outpatient services, and a Child Advocacy Center.
That range gives her a broad view of common struggles and practical ways to cope. She has particular experience with complex trauma and abuse, family conflict, and parenting skills. In sessions she balances warmth with directness.
Shawna helps people set clear goals, try small steps, and adjust strategies that aren’t working. She avoids rigid formats and adapts the work to each person’s needs and lifestyle. She emphasizes collaboration and realistic pacing.
Shawna acknowledges change takes time and effort, and she offers steady support while encouraging practical action. Her focus is on helping people feel heard, gain confidence, and move toward the life they want.
Shawna lists 6 ways of working on the entry:
What Shawna works with
The areas below are the ones Shawna 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
- Adoption and foster care
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Family conflicts
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Fertility issues
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- LGBT
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Parenting issues
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Postpartum depression
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Visually impaired
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Training and background
| Register | LPC |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 14 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | Mississippi |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
Approaches that guide online sessions
Shawna often uses client-centered therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy in online work. Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and understanding each person’s perspective so sessions reflect the individual’s priorities and values. Cognitive behavioral therapy looks at patterns of thinking and behavior and offers concrete tools to reduce anxiety, manage mood, and change unhelpful habits.She also draws on mindfulness and solution-focused techniques when helpful. Mindfulness teaches simple attention exercises that reduce stress and improve focus. Solution-focused methods concentrate on small, achievable steps to move toward specific goals. Choosing the right mix is part of the collaborative process rather than a fixed plan.
Finding the best approach is a team effort. The therapist will talk about needs, goals, and preferences, then try methods that fit the person’s situation. Sessions may be adjusted over time based on what helps most and what feels comfortable for the client.
Online therapy offers practical flexibility. Video calls work well for in-depth sessions that benefit from face-to-face conversation. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or when a shorter check-in is needed. Live chat and text-based messaging let people send updates, ask quick questions, or check in between longer sessions. These options make it simpler to fit therapy into a busy life and keep progress moving forward.
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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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