Sharon (Shonnie) Brown

Sharon (Shonnie) Brown is a licensed marriage and family therapist with three decades of experience. She helps people who are dealing with stress, anxiety, relationship struggles, anger, grief, and major life transitions. Her manner is direct and compassionate, and she often uses writing as a tool for emotional healing.

Shonnie trained at the University of California, Berkeley (B.A.) and earned a master’s degree in counseling psychology from JFK University in Orinda, California. She has worked primarily with individuals and couples and has led groups on separation, divorce, infidelity, co-parenting, and social anxiety.

Her work addresses patterns that make it hard to comfort oneself, such as trouble tolerating feelings like anger, shame, or fear. She also focuses on building self-compassion, self-protection, and self-love. Sessions include practical tools like goal setting, coping skills, mindfulness, and optional writing exercises.

Shonnie draws on a mix of approaches including cognitive methods, attachment ideas, client-centered listening, and existential questions about life purpose. She explains concepts plainly and helps people try out new behaviors between sessions. This is collaborative work focused on small, steady steps.

Her background includes a long interest in workplace stress, separation and divorce, infidelity, co-parenting, aging issues, and challenges of young adulthood. She emphasizes optimism and gratitude while helping people make concrete changes in day-to-day life.

Approaches that guide online work and goals

Attachment-based work focuses on how early relationships shape current reactions and closeness. It helps people notice patterns in attachment, understand triggers, and practice new ways of relating to others and themselves.

Client-centered therapy centers on being heard and respected. The therapist listens without judgment and helps clients find their own answers through reflection, empathy, and steady support.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at how thoughts influence feelings and behavior. It offers concrete exercises to test unhelpful thoughts, try different actions, and build coping skills for anxiety, anger, and depression.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to decide which methods fit their needs, goals, and preferences. That may mean mixing approaches and adjusting plans as progress is made.

If you are considering online therapy, confirm the session formats available before booking since formats are not specified in the profile. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life, shorten check-ins when needed, avoid travel time, and try therapeutic exercises like writing or mindfulness between meetings. Licensed professionals can adapt exercises and homework to remote sessions so therapy remains practical and focused on everyday change.