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Shawn Mcgivern

Therapist profile

Shawn Mcgivern, LMHC

Massachusetts

LMHC in Massachusetts - relationships and parenting

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About

  • Anxiety and depression
  • Relationship communication
  • Parenting strain

About Shawn

Shawn Mcgivern is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in Massachusetts with 27 years of clinical experience. She works with adults on common struggles such as anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, relationship stress, and parenting concerns. Shawn also addresses issues related to identity, intimacy, eating and sleeping problems, and workplace stress.

She uses straightforward, practical conversation to help people sort out what matters most. Sessions focus on understanding emotions, improving communication, and building skills to manage difficult moments. Shawn draws on several psychotherapy approaches to tailor what she offers to each person’s needs.

Many people come to her for help after a major life change, a breakup, or when parenting feels overwhelming. She supports people dealing with abandonment, adoption and foster care questions, blended family challenges, caregiving strain, and the aftermath of separation or divorce. Concerns such as codependency, commitment anxiety, and attachment difficulties are also within her focus.

Her background includes work with issues around body image, perfectionism, procrastination, and identity formation. She brings long experience using cognitive and behavioral strategies, emotion-focused methods, and acceptance-based ideas to build practical tools for daily life. Shawn helps clients set clear goals and practices that fit their schedules.

People meet her for thoughtful, direct sessions that emphasize skill building and clearer connection with others. To start, she asks about current struggles and what a better week would look like, then plans small steps to move forward.

How sessions work

How Shawn’s approaches translate to online work

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice unhelpful thoughts and choose actions that align with their values. It is useful for anxiety, avoidance, and motivation challenges. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying patterns of thinking that keep problems going and testing new behaviors to change results. It often helps with depression, worry, and sleep or eating problems. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationships shape current patterns and helps people shift how they relate to others and to themselves.

Finding the right approach is collaborative. Shawn begins by asking about your goals, daily routines, and what you hope to change. Together you and she decide which methods to try and adapt them as needed, with regular check-ins on progress and next steps.

The therapist’s biography did not list specific online session formats, so confirm the available options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when rhythm or bandwidth matters. It can also let someone use video or phone depending on what works best for a particular appointment. Licensed professionals will help arrange a session schedule that fits your life and goals.

Areas of focus

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Also works with

LGBTFamily conflictsIntimacy-related issuesEating disordersSleeping disordersParenting issuesAnger managementSelf esteemCareer difficultiesCoping with life changesCoaching

Additional focus areas

AbandonmentAdoption and foster careAging and geriatric issuesAttachment issuesAvoidant personalityBlended family issuesBody imageCaregiver issues and stressCodependencyCommitment issuesCommunication problemsControl issuesDependent personalityDissociationDivorce and separationEating and food-related issuesEmptinessFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsFatherhood issuesFirst responder issuesForgivenessGuilt and shameImmigration issuesImpulsivityInfidelityIsolation / lonelinessJealousyLife purposeMidlife crisisMoney and financial issuesMood disordersMulticultural concernsNarcissismObsessions, compulsions, and OCDPanic disorder and panic attacksPhobiasPost-traumatic stressPrejudice and discriminationSeasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-loveSex addictionSexual assault and abuseSexual dysfunctionSexualitySocial anxiety and phobiaSomatizationTrichotillomaniaWomen's issuesWorkplace issues

Therapeutic approaches

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)Attachment-Based TherapyClient-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)Existential TherapyGottman MethodImago Relationship TherapyJungian TherapyMindfulness TherapyMotivational InterviewingNarrative TherapyPsychodynamic TherapySolution-Focused TherapySomatic TherapyTrauma-Focused TherapyInternal Family Systems

Experience

27+ years

Listed in

Massachusetts

Languages

English

Questions

Frequently asked questions

What concerns does she help with?

She works with anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, relationship problems, parenting strain, identity questions, and related issues listed in her profile.

What is her therapeutic style like?

She uses a collaborative, practical style that focuses on skills, communication, and emotional understanding.

How much clinical experience does she have?

She has 27 years of experience as a practicing clinician in Massachusetts.

What are her credentials and location?

She is an LMHC based in Massachusetts with a MA LMHC credential shown in her profile.

Does she offer sessions in other languages or to international clients?

Sessions are conducted in English and she does not accept international clients.

Which session formats does she provide?

Her original biography did not list specific session formats; confirm current session options before booking.

How is cost handled?

Cost varies by location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.

How do I begin working with her?

Use the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.

Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.

Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If anyone is in danger, use the crisis numbers.

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Shawn Mcgivern

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