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LCSW

Patrick Shanahan, LCSW

  • Experience44 years
  • LocationMissouri
  • Focus areasRelationship, Grief, and Anger
  • Therapy approachesInternal Family Systems and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
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About Patrick

Patrick Shanahan is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) with 44 years of practice who focuses on helping people regain movement in their lives when they feel stuck.

Background and approach

He draws on a belief that people have an innate capacity to self-correct and uses that perspective to guide work on relationships, grief, anxiety, depression, addictions, and a broad array of family and life transitions.

Patrick emphasizes values as a compass for change and brings a culturally informed outlook developed through years of study in comparative religions and cross-cultural settings. His professional history includes founding and directing an outpatient clinic for a runaway and homeless youth shelter, where he provided case management, individual and family therapy, and supervised staff and trainees.

He later spent nearly two decades in managed care offering phone therapy and crisis intervention and has worked in various outpatient settings and community programs. His clinical approach blends brief family therapy, problem-solving, structural and strategic systems theory, hypnotherapy, cognitive behavioral methods, communication-focused work, and addiction therapies to tailor care to each client’s needs.

Blending relational and parts-focused therapies for online care



Internal Family Systems (IFS) is an approach that explores the different parts inside a person and how those parts interact, helping clients understand internal conflicts and access self-led healing; it can be useful for relationship patterns, trauma responses, and emotional regulation. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on clarifying personal values and taking committed action while learning to accept difficult thoughts and feelings, which often helps with anxiety, depression, and life transitions. Attachment-Based Therapy examines patterns formed in early relationships and how they shape current connections, offering pathways to improve intimacy and communication.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will work with each person to match methods to their goals, preferences, and circumstances rather than prescribing a single technique, and may combine elements from different models as needed.

Online therapy with this clinician is offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to increase flexibility and access. These formats make it easier to schedule consistent sessions around work, caregiving, or geographic constraints while maintaining ongoing therapeutic momentum with a licensed professional.

Frequently asked questions

What concerns does Patrick commonly address?
He works with a wide range of issues including relationship struggles, grief, anger, low self-esteem, depression, stress, anxiety, addictions, trauma, family problems, intimacy issues, parenting and career transitions.
What is his therapeutic approach and style?
His style is collaborative and values-oriented, drawing on Internal Family Systems, ACT, attachment-based, client-centered, and cognitive behavioral methods to help clients find practical direction and meaning.
How long has he practiced clinically?
He brings 44 years of experience that include founding and running an outpatient clinic for homeless youth, supervising trainees, and lengthy work in managed care and outpatient settings.
What credentials and location are listed for the therapist?
He is credentialed as an LCSW with licence number MO LCSW 000602 and practices from Missouri.
Are sessions offered in languages other than English or to international clients?
Sessions are provided in English, and he does accept international clients.
Which session formats are available for online work?
Clients can meet via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging depending on preference and availability.
How are costs and billing handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What steps are required to begin therapy?
To start, select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a session according to the therapist's availability.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Relationship issuesGriefAnger managementSelf esteemDepression

Also works with

Stress, AnxietyAddictionsFamily conflictsTrauma and abuseIntimacy-related issuesParenting issuesCareer difficultiesCoping with life changesCoachingCompassion fatigue

Additional focus areas

Adoption and foster careAging and geriatric issuesBlended family issuesCaregiver issues and stressCodependencyCommunication problemsCoping with natural or human-caused disasterDivorce and separationDomestic violenceDrug and alcohol addictionFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsFatherhood issuesFirst responder issuesForgivenessGuilt and shameHospice and end-of-life counselingInfidelityIsolation / lonelinessJealousyLife purposeMen's issuesMidlife crisisVeteran and Armed Forces IssuesMoney and financial issuesMulticultural concernsSeasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-loveWorkplace issuesYoung adult issues

Therapeutic approaches

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)Attachment-Based TherapyClient-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)Existential TherapyHypnotherapyJungian TherapyMindfulness TherapyNarrative TherapyPsychodynamic TherapySolution-Focused TherapyInternal Family Systems

Experience

44+ years

Licensed

Missouri

Languages

English