Shanna Ahrens

Warmly welcoming clients into a space where they can feel truly seen, understood, and supported, Shanna Ahrens, BA, Clinical Intern, is passionate about guiding individuals through life’s challenging seasons. She holds a deep interest in the transformative ways people heal, grow, and reconnect with their authentic selves. Shanna is dedicated to empowering clients to cultivate greater self-understanding, foster profound self-compassion, and reclaim their inherent agency.

Clients often describe Shanna’s therapeutic approach as warm, genuinely compassionate, and deeply collaborative. She strives to co-create an environment where every individual feels authentically heard and accepted without judgment. Rather than prescribing solutions, Shanna works alongside each person with genuine curiosity, gently helping them to explore complex emotions, relational dynamics, and recurring patterns. Her integrative approach is profoundly trauma-informed, drawing upon modalities such as Attachment Focused, Compassion Focused, Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT), Narrative Therapy, Person Centered, and Somatic Therapy, always attending to the intricate connections between mind, body, and the broader context of each person's life.

Shanna finds particular resonance in working with adults navigating significant periods of transition, personal growth, or profound life changes. She is especially adept at supporting clients who are exploring questions of identity, meaning and purpose, the complexities of relationships (including individual relationship challenges and family conflict), or the lasting impact of past experiences such as Trauma &/or PTSD. Her areas of focus also include addressing Anxiety, Depression, Grief and Loss, enhancing Self-Esteem, and working through feelings of Shame & Self-Criticism, as well as managing Work Stress. Shanna believes that every client brings a unique history, perspective, and an invaluable set of strengths to the therapeutic process, and she welcomes those who wish to deepen their self-understanding, including exploring spirituality or other personally meaningful experiences.

Shanna’s commitment to supporting others is rooted in her own journey and education. She earned her BA in International Studies from Seattle University before pursuing her MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Palo Alto University, which further solidified her dedication to the healing arts. This background has instilled in her a holistic perspective on well-being and a deep appreciation for diverse human experiences. Outside of her practice, Shanna enjoys finding balance and rejuvenation through connecting with nature on the Olympic Peninsula, engaging in joyful dance parties, staying active with spin class, and caring for her beloved cat, Wolf.