Sharon (Shonnie) Brown , LMFT

Sharon (Shonnie) Brown is a northern California native whose life has included adapting to other cultures and navigating significant transitions. Personal experiences with divorce and shyness helped shape her perspective as a psychotherapist and reinforced an acceptance of change as part of life. She earned a B.A. from UC Berkeley and an M.A. in counseling psychology from JFK University in Orinda, CA, and brings more than 30 years of practice as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) - a professional credential for therapists who work with individuals, couples, and families.

Her clinical work has focused primarily on individuals and couples, and she has led groups addressing separation and divorce, infidelity, co-parenting education, and social anxiety. Areas of particular interest include toxic workplace stress, major life transitions, separation and divorce, infidelity, relationship challenges, broken friendships, self-esteem struggles, young adulthood concerns, co-parenting, and aging-related issues. As a professional writer, she also integrates writing as a therapeutic tool to support emotional processing and healing.

Sharon's style is direct, honest, and heartfelt, drawing on a mix of cognitive and solution-focused techniques, family systems thinking, and psychodynamic ideas. She has incorporated Pete Walker's roadmap on childhood trauma (Complex PTSD) into her work. She often addresses difficulties with self-soothing and tolerating intense emotions, alongside challenges with self-compassion, self-protection, and self-love, using goal setting, coping skills, mindfulness practices, and writing exercises within a strong therapeutic relationship. Her approach emphasizes steady, realistic steps toward greater resilience and hope.

Integrating Attachment Work, Client-Centered Care, and CBT Online

Sharon (Shonnie) Brown draws on Attachment-Based Therapy to explore how early relationship patterns influence current connections and emotional responses - this approach can help people who struggle with trust, closeness, or fear of abandonment. She also uses Client-Centered Therapy, which emphasizes empathy, acceptance, and a collaborative therapeutic relationship so clients feel heard and supported while finding their own solutions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is another frequent tool, focusing on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors to reduce anxiety, improve mood, and build practical coping skills.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Sharon works collaboratively with each person to determine which methods fit their needs, goals, and preferences, adjusting techniques as progress unfolds and new priorities emerge.

Online therapy options such as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging make it easier to access consistent care amid busy schedules or geographic constraints. These formats offer flexibility for scheduling, allow for ongoing support between sessions, and can be adapted to different communication styles so therapy can fit more naturally into daily life.