Shawna Pankonin, LPC

Shawna Pankonin is a licensed professional counselor (LPC) based in Mississippi who helps people manage stress and anxiety. She also supports individuals facing depression, relationship strain, trauma and abuse, parenting challenges, grief, and issues around self-esteem and career concerns. Shawna draws on 14 years of experience in mental health to listen, understand, and work alongside clients as they take practical steps forward.

She has worked in homes, residential care, schools, youth courts across the Gulf Coast, outpatient settings, and a Child Advocacy Center. That range means she has seen many situations and different ways people cope. Shawna starts by learning where a person is coming from and treats them as the expert on their own life.

Her style is warm and supportive while also direct when action is needed. She combines person-centered care with structured strategies so sessions are both validating and focused. Clients can expect goal setting, skill practice, and real-world steps to handle stress, anxiety, and related concerns.

Shawna commonly uses cognitive behavioral techniques, mindfulness, narrative strategies, and solution-focused methods. She adapts methods to fit someone’s goals and life rather than forcing a rigid plan. Progress takes work, and she frames therapy as a collaborative process.

Many people seek her help for family conflict, parenting skills, blended family issues, adoption and foster care concerns, caregiver stress, codependency, and coping after trauma. She emphasizes listening, practical skills, and building confidence so people can move forward in their daily lives.

How therapy approaches shape online work

Shawna often uses cognitive behavioral methods to help people notice unhelpful thoughts and test different responses. CBT is practical and helps with stress, anxiety, depression, and many day-to-day problems by focusing on skill practice and small behavior changes.

She also uses mindfulness techniques to help people slow down and become more aware of their reactions. Mindfulness can help reduce racing thoughts and increase the ability to pause before reacting. Additionally, her client-centered stance means sessions start from your experience and priorities so the work fits your life.

Finding the right approach is part of the process. The therapist will collaborate with clients to choose or combine methods based on goals, preferences, and what feels most helpful. That decision can change over time as progress is made.

The practical benefit of online therapy is being able to fit sessions into a busy life. Many people find it easier to schedule appointments around work, school, or family responsibilities. Because the biography does not list specific session formats, confirm current options before booking so you know how sessions will be conducted. Online work can make regular check-ins and skill practice more manageable without promising a particular format.