WHAT BROUGHT ME TO THIS WORK
My path into trauma work began not in a classroom but in community. In the aftermath of the 1999 Columbine school shooting — I was working in youth ministry in the Denver area at the time, present to a community moving through collective trauma in real time. Later, alongside women in Uganda who had survived decades of civil war and unimaginable loss — and who were still, somehow, reaching toward life.
I don't claim those experiences as my own. But I was changed by them. By what I witnessed about the human capacity to survive, to endure, and to keep growing — even from the most devastated ground.
I also came to this work through my own healing. I know this terrain from the inside.
What I know, from all of it, is this: the capacity to survive and be shaped by our experiences — to grow even deeper roots to sustain what we've endured — is one of the most profound and consistent truths of being human. That truth is the ground my work stands on.
Shauna C. Gauthier, MA, LMHC, LPC-S
Individual & Couples Therapist · Clinical Supervisor · Natural Medicine Facilitator
TRAINING & CREDENTIALS
I hold a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology from The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology (2010) and a Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Science with an emphasis in Psychology from Metropolitan State University of Denver (2005).
I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Washington state (LH61078164) and a Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor in Colorado (LPC.0021225) — which means I am both a practicing clinician and a credentialed supervisor for emerging counselors.
I am trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and have completed Gottman Level One training for couples work. My approach is grounded in attachment theory, trauma-informed narrative therapy, relational and depth-oriented psychodynamic psychotherapy, and feminist approaches to mental health and wellbeing.
I am also a trained Natural Medicine Facilitator (NMFIT #0000624) offering psilocybin mushroom facilitation and ketamine-assisted therapy for adults ready to go beneath the surface of what talk therapy alone has been able to reach.
THE LENS I BRING
I understand that healing never happens in a vacuum. Culture, identity, systemic oppression, privilege, racism, heteronormativity, gender binarism, ableism, classism, and ageism are not background noise — they are part of the story every person carries into the room. I hold a social justice lens in all of my work and consider these contextual realities when understanding each person's history, strengths, and goals.
I also know that one of the most significant factors in a successful therapeutic experience is the relationship between client and therapist. I don't take that lightly. It is a privilege to be trusted with what people bring here — and I try to honor that privilege in every session.
WHO I WORK WITH
I work with adolescents and adults individually, and with couples. Primary areas of focus include:
Complex trauma and PTSD
Grief and loss
Anxiety and depression
Relational and interpersonal wounds
Religious and spiritual trauma
Life transitions and identity
Neurodiversity
Psychedelic integration
Psychedelic-assisted therapy is available to adults only.
CLINICAL SUPERVISION
I offer psychodynamically oriented reflective supervision to LMHCAs, LPCCs, and early career LMHCs and LPCs — individually and in small groups. Currently accepting supervisees. Learn more about supervision