Profesional Bio
Shauna – Licensed Professional Counselor/Owner
Shauna is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Idaho with a Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Her therapeutic philosophy centers on embracing each individual’s strengths while fostering resilience, identity, and joy through evidence‑based care and biblical truths. She is passionate about helping today’s youth discover who they were created to be so they can live meaningful, authentic lives.
With more than eight years of crisis‑care experience, Shauna works primarily with adolescents navigating a wide range of mental health challenges. Her expertise and outside‑the‑box creativity allow her to support teens facing anxiety, depression, trauma, PTSD, suicidal ideation, self‑harm, gaming addiction, and complex mental health disorders such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Her approach is nonjudgmental and deeply accepting—welcoming clients exactly as they are, regardless of belief system, gender, or sexual orientation. Her goal is to guide teens toward healing, self‑understanding, and emotional well‑being while equipping them with lifelong tools for growth. In addition to her work with adolescents, Shauna supports parents in strengthening communication, navigating conflict, understanding behaviors and accessing community resources. She is committed to creating a safe supportive environment where families can heal and thrive together.
Professional Experience
Shauna earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, where she was trained from the outset to integrate faith and biblical truths into everyday life and clinical practice.
In 2017, she completed her bachelor’s degree in criminal psychology with a specialization in sex‑offender behavior. During her undergraduate years, she spent four years working with male inmates through an extension of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. This experience offered deep insight into the prison system, behavioral triggers, relapse‑prevention strategies, and the power of human connection. She witnessed firsthand how simple acts—eye contact, a smile, calling someone by name—could shift a person’s heart and behavior. This season solidified her belief that people are created for connection, not isolation.
Following this work, Shauna spent a year in the school system supporting 13‑ to 15‑year‑old boys with violent behaviors who frequently challenged school resource officers. This role provided invaluable understanding of how local schools respond to high‑needs students and what structures help—or hinder—their success.
She then transitioned to an acute community crisis team, where she spent six years supporting adults with severe and persistent mental health disorders, including schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar disorder. Managing a caseload of more than 30 clients, she became highly skilled in diagnostic tools and therapeutic interventions such as CBT, DBT, and somatic coping strategies. She specialized in de‑escalating high‑risk behaviors, self‑harm, and suicidal ideation, and intervened in multiple suicide attempts. She also gained experience supporting individuals with co‑occurring conditions such as anxiety, depression, autism, and homelessness.
After completing her master’s degree, Shauna joined a high‑level inpatient residential program for adolescents at high risk of suicide. Many of these teens transitioned directly from hospital care and required stabilization before moving to PHP, IOP, or returning home. Over the past 19 months, she has worked daily with youth in crisis—a role that has been both challenging and profoundly meaningful. She has witnessed God’s grace and mercy in the lives of her clients and their families as they worked to heal the root causes of suicidal thoughts and self‑destructive behaviors.
As the program began serving more local youth from Kootenai County, Shauna recognized a growing need for individualized support within her own community. Her mission is to intervene earlier—before teens reach the point of needing inpatient care. She is also developing a small youth center in Rathdrum for ages 13–17, offering a safe after‑school space and hosting much‑needed adolescent AA/NA meetings.
To learn more, please visit my nonprofit website Club Fearless.
Personal Experience – “A Mama’s Heart”
Shauna has lived in Kootenai County for 22 years and has called Rathdrum home for the past 15. She raised three boys—now ages 21 to 32—and is a proud grandmother. Her journey through motherhood has shaped her deeply as a clinician, giving her firsthand insight into the diverse needs, personalities, and challenges children face.
Her oldest son, diagnosed with OCD and Tourette’s at age seven and later identified as having Asperger’s, struggled in traditional school settings. Homeschooling became the solution, allowing Shauna to tailor learning to his processing needs and unique strengths.
Her middle son was academically advanced from an early age, teaching himself to read at three and performing two grade levels ahead. Despite his brilliance, boredom led to behavioral challenges, and the school district’s refusal to advance him prompted Shauna to homeschool him as well. In his early teens, he experienced severe depression, anger, self‑harm, and suicidality, eventually receiving a bipolar diagnosis at 16. Homeschooling provided the flexibility and support he needed during this difficult season.
Her youngest son, born with multiple life‑threatening food allergies and asthma, had a different path. During Shauna’s transition to single motherhood, he attended a small faith‑based private school before entering the Lakeland School District. His experiences—bullying, peer conflict, and navigating the COVID shutdowns—gave Shauna a clear view of the pressures today’s youth face. Through him, she also gained firsthand understanding of the county’s juvenile probation system and local resources.
Shauna’s personal story includes overcoming childhood trauma and surviving a long‑term abusive relationship with an alcoholic. She believes that God has used every chapter of her life to strengthen her resilience and equip her to connect authentically with those who are hurting. With more than 12 years of college‑level education in human development, trauma, behavior, and personalities—and a lifetime of lived experience—Shauna believes adolescence is a pivotal time to shape identity, build emotional tools, and discover joy and purpose despite life’s challenges.