Shannon Bode

Shannon Bode is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in California with 19 years of clinical experience. She helps people who are stressed or anxious, struggling with relationships or family problems, grieving a loss, or wrestling with low self-esteem. Life purpose is listed as a focus area, and she works with issues such as attachment, abandonment, and codependency.

Shannon uses a relational, trauma-informed approach. She listens for patterns that repeat across family generations and points these out to help people make different choices. Sessions often involve looking at past experiences that shape current feelings and relationships. She also brings mindfulness practices into conversations to help people feel steadier in the moment.

Her work draws from client-centered and narrative approaches. That means she centers the person’s own experience and the stories they tell about themselves. She helps people name those stories, test them against new information, and try different ways of being that fit better with their goals. Shannon also uses psychodynamic ideas to trace how early relationships influence present behavior.

Shannon is attentive to identity issues and describes her practice as anti-racist and affirming. She also notes experience with end-of-life and hospice counseling and caregiver stress. Practical concerns like communication problems, divorce and separation, and feelings of emptiness or isolation are part of her caseload.

People meeting with Shannon can expect straightforward, relational work focused on understanding patterns and trying different responses. She encourages reflection paired with practical steps so choices in daily life can change how things feel over time.

Therapeutic approaches for online work

Shannon commonly integrates client-centered and mindfulness approaches in her work. Client-centered therapy focuses on listening closely and following the person’s lead to clarify what matters most. This approach helps with relationship questions, self-esteem, and deciding what comes next.

Mindfulness therapy teaches simple practices to notice thoughts and feelings without getting swept away. These skills can reduce reactivity to stress and make it easier to test new ways of relating to others. Narrative therapy is also part of her practice; it looks at the stories people tell about themselves and explores alternative, more useful narratives.

Finding the right approach is part of the process. Shannon works collaboratively to identify which methods fit a person’s goals and preferences, and she adjusts the plan as sessions progress. This means clients can raise concerns about what’s working and try different techniques until they find a fit.

The biography does not list specific session formats, so confirm current options before booking. Many people find online work helps fit sessions into a busy week by removing travel time and making scheduling easier. Online meetings can also allow shorter check-ins or sessions that focus on practical skills when that suits a person’s routine.