I’m a hiker, biker, tree hugger, nature lover, repeated failed gardener, traveler, and mover. I’m a supporter, mother, wife, writer, nana, speaker, and friend. I’m a feeler, observer, connector, and an all over general human with a lot of energy.
Things that may help you feel good about my skills as a therapist are: I have undergraduate (BS ’92) and graduate (MS ’97) degrees from Emporia State University. As a licensed professional counselor (LPC 739) and National Board Certified Counselor I adhere to NBCC Code of Ethics (2023). I received my infant and early childhood mental health specialist (IMHS) endorsement (’12) focusing on attachment and trauma through KAIMH. I am currently a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Tabor College (Masters in Education: Neuroscience & Trauma)
From 2005-2020 I was a Certified Conscious Discipline® Certified Instructor as one of a handful of Instructors with a background in mental health. The training, coaching and mentoring I provided to teachers, administrators, mental health, and early childhood professionals across the United States was one of the most joyous times of my life as I spent time in direct contact with children and adults with a focus on effective trauma responses.
In late 2022 I began my journey toward a Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner certification. Each module has increased my curiosity around the body’s memory of trauma and how that trauma can be transformed.
The scope of my practice: focuses on pre-teens and young adults dealing with ADHD, anxiety, relational trauma, depression, or issues surrounding self-worth…sometimes simultaneously. Successful therapy requires connection, and I’m here for it!
I believe the best way to show up in relationship is by being human. For me, being human looks like vulnerability. Being open, honest with yourself, honoring your boundaries, and massaging the little curiosities in life.
The past few years brought surprises and sorrows with both of my own children and challenged me to fight against societal, religious and family beliefs to find what is true. For me, love was the winning truth, through our family’s journey I wrestled with old beliefs and came to find my own new truths. These truths remind me of my favorite tree the Giant Sequoia:
The life story of the giant sequoia begins with a very small seed. To germinate and survive, sequoia seeds must fall on the mineral soil left bare by fire – without it, seeds will not successfully grow into new sequoia seedlings. The trunk of the sequoia is specifically built to not be destroyed by fire, but even beyond that they actually need the fires in order to develop and thrive. After enduring the fire, the seed must first be buried under a blanket of snow. Once the seed is put down in the harshest of weather, it begins to crack apart in order to grow.
It’s hard enough to fathom that these enormous trees came from a tiny seed. It’s even more difficult to comprehend that in order to grow, these seeds can not only withstand, but actually require, what to us seems like unbearable conditions.
What feels like it might destroy us will actually become our strength.
May we never stop growing.
May we have what we need to endure, and even flourish.
May we know that every difficulty in relationships, every hard circumstance, every struggle, every loss – none of it would be wasted. That every seed planted in the harshest of moments will produce something great.
Shana Lynn Schmidt, LLC 