Shannon is a Licensed Professional Counselor and National Certified Counselor in private practice in Baton Rouge. She facilitates STAR’s weekly Circle of Support Group.

Shannon earned her Master of Arts in Community Counseling from Louisiana State University in 2015 and has completed post-graduate continuing education at Louisiana State University, Southeastern Louisiana University and Loyola University. Before pursuing her career in counseling, she worked in the field of victim services for 15 years, serving as a professional victim advocate in five different states and speaking on a local and national level about the effects of sexual violence. Shannon worked as the Crisis Services Coordinator at STAR from 2012-2013, when she left to attend graduate school.

Shannon’s approach to counseling is client-centered, with an emphasis on affirming the individual’s personal identity, experiences, and sociocultural influences. As a survivor herself, she employs empathy and compassion while still challenging clients to move through their healing even when it’s difficult and painful. She is direct, but down-to-earth, and she truly believes that laughter is medicine. Shannon practices individual, couples, and family counseling in her private practice, but she has a special passion for group therapy and believes that community is a vital component of healing from trauma.

In addition to counseling, Shannon provides professional consultation and training and has served as an expert witness on victim behavior, sexual assault reporting procedures, and the effects of trauma.

Shannon was born in the New Orleans area, moved away as a teen and lived in several states before relocating back to Louisiana in 2012.

Email: shannon.smith@star.ngo