Licensed Professional Counselor
A Space Where Kids and Families Can Actually Heal.
Meet Shannon Pannell
Shannon Pannell, MA, LPC, NCC
Before Shannon became a therapist, she spent over 20 years working with at-risk children and families around the world. She has sat with children in some of the hardest circumstances imaginable, and she has watched them find their footing. That experience is in every session she does.
Shannon is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Nationally Certified Counselor specializing in child therapy, play therapy, and family work. She holds a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Denver Seminary and is a certified Theraplay practitioner, with additional training in Sand Therapy, Internal Family Systems, and Attachment-Based Family Therapy.
She works with children from toddlers through preteens, as well as adults and families navigating grief, anxiety, depression, life transitions, and relational wounds. She has a particular heart for families touched by adoption or foster care, military life, and third culture kid experiences.
Who I Work With
You might be in the right place if…
Your child is struggling and you are not sure why
Big emotions, behavioral changes, withdrawal, acting out at school or home. Something has shifted and you want to understand it before it gets harder to reach them.
Your family has been through something hard
A divorce, a loss, a move, a trauma. The ripple effects show up in unexpected ways, and you want support in navigating them together.
You are in the adoption or foster care world
Whether you are a foster parent, an adoptive family, or an adult processing your own story, Shannon understands the complexity of attachment and identity that comes with these experiences.
Your child is a third culture kid or military dependent
Growing up between cultures or navigating frequent moves creates unique challenges. Shannon has lived and worked in this world and brings firsthand understanding to it.
You are an adult carrying grief, anxiety, or a life transition
Shannon works with adults too, using the same attunement and creativity she brings to child sessions, adapted for where you are.
You are a parent who needs support, not just your child
Sometimes the most powerful thing Shannon can do is help a parent understand their child better. Parent coaching and family therapy are part of what she offers.
My Approach
How I Work
I work from a family systems lens, which means I am always thinking about the whole family, not just the individual in the room. How people are connected matters as much as what they are struggling with.
For children, I draw on Play Therapy, Theraplay, Sand Therapy, and Expressive Arts because children heal through relationship and creativity, not just conversation. I also use Internal Family Systems and Attachment-Based Family Therapy to help families understand each other at a deeper level.
For adults, I bring the same curiosity and attunement to talk therapy, helping you recognize patterns, reconnect with yourself, and move forward with more intention. I use Gottman Method principles for couples navigating communication and conflict.
I integrate Christian counseling for clients who want their faith to be part of the process. And I always bring a trauma-informed lens, because so much of what shows up in therapy — whether it is a child’s behavior or an adult’s anxiety — has roots in experiences the nervous system has not yet finished processing.
I am a direct therapist. I do not just reflect things back at you. I will share what I notice, offer frameworks that help things make sense, and work alongside you to figure out what actually needs to change.
Specialties
Areas of Focus
- Child Therapy (Toddlers through Preteens)
- Play Therapy
- Theraplay (Certified Practitioner)
- Sand Therapy
- Family Therapy
- Grief and Loss
- Anxiety and Depression
- Adoption and Foster Care
- Third Culture Kids and Military Families
- Life Transitions
- Parenting Support and Parent Coaching
- Attachment and Relational Wounds
- Christian and Faith-Integrated Counseling
- Adult Individual Therapy
Background
Training and Licensure
Logistics