Shawna Pankonin, LPC

Shawna Pankonin is a licensed professional counselor who focuses on stress, anxiety, depression, relationship struggles, trauma and related everyday thinking and habit patterns. She works with people who are juggling parenting, grief, career stress, identity questions, and the ripple effects of past abuse. Her style is warm and direct, and she aims to help clients feel heard and understood as they set practical goals.

Shawna brings 14 years of experience in community, residential, school, court, outpatient, and child advocacy settings across the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. That background gives her experience with a broad range of clinical issues and everyday life challenges. She emphasizes beginning where each person is and building from what already works in their life.

Her work often focuses on how thoughts and everyday habits shape emotions and behavior. She uses a mix of approaches to help people notice unhelpful thinking, try new behaviors, and practice skills that fit their routine. Sessions tend to balance short-term problem solving with attention to personal history when it matters.

Shawna describes her approach as person-centered and eclectic. She draws on cognitive-behavioral strategies, mindfulness, solution-focused ideas, and narrative techniques to help clients set clear goals and try practical steps. She encourages realistic expectations and steady effort rather than quick fixes.

People who choose her can expect collaborative planning, creative options for working through problems, and a focus on building confidence and control over everyday challenges. She welcomes English-speaking clients and accepts international clients.

Approaches that guide online sessions and skill practice

Client-centered therapy focuses on the person's own experience and priorities, giving them space to lead the conversation while the therapist listens and reflects. This helps when people need to feel heard before they can make changes.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) looks at how thoughts and daily habits affect mood and behavior. It involves noticing unhelpful thinking, testing new ways of thinking, and practicing small behavior changes that fit into everyday life.

Mindfulness-based work teaches simple awareness skills to reduce reactivity and manage stress. It can be useful for anxiety, mood changes, and improving attention to daily routines.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and needs, and then suggest methods to try. Plans can be adjusted as work progresses so the focus stays practical and relevant.

If you are considering online therapy, please confirm the session formats offered before booking because specific formats were not listed in the biography. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule, allow shorter check-ins when time is limited, and reduce travel time. Therapists can guide practice exercises between sessions and help translate skills into everyday situations.