Therapist profile
Shawn Mcgivern, LMHC
Massachusetts
MA LMHC - Relationships and Codependency
Continue with ShawnWhere Shawn stands
- Credentials
- LMHC
- License
- LMHC, Massachusetts / 6656
- NPI
- 1912585993
- Experience
- 27 years
- Languages
- English
- Location
- Massachusetts
About
- ACT and CBT
- Attachment work
- Emotion skills
About Shawn
Shawn Mcgivern is an MA, Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) practicing in Massachusetts with 27 years of clinical experience. She works with adults facing stress, anxiety, relationship strain, depression, trauma and abuse, and issues around identity and intimacy.
Shawn helps people notice patterns that keep them stuck, like people-pleasing, trouble saying no, or losing themselves in a relationship. She talks through how distress shows up day to day and what practical steps can reduce overwhelm. Codependency is one of the areas she addresses alongside grief, sleeping and eating difficulties, and career stress.
Her approach combines clear, evidence-based methods with attention to how attachment and life history shape current behavior. Clients learn skills for managing strong emotions, improving communication, and setting boundaries. She also supports work on body image, commitment concerns, and problems with control or avoidance.
Shawn uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Attachment-Based therapy, and client-centered work. Those methods are used to help people change unhelpful thoughts, tolerate difficult feelings, and build everyday habits that fit their goals.
She works with adults on issues such as adoption and foster care dynamics, caregiver stress, abandonment worries, and separation or divorce. Sessions focus on concrete strategies, clearer decisions, and steady progress rather than quick fixes.
To start, prospective clients complete a short questionnaire and schedule a first session. Payment is handled through a cancel-anytime subscription model that varies with location.
How sessions work
How Shawn uses evidence-based approaches online
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice painful thoughts and feelings without getting ruled by them, then commit to actions that matter. This approach is useful for anxiety, chronic stress, and patterns like people-pleasing. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at the link between thoughts, moods, and behaviors and teaches concrete skills to shift unhelpful patterns; it can help with depression, worry, and sleep or eating issues. Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on how early relationships shape expectations and coping; it can help with intimacy problems, abandonment worries, and patterns that repeat in adult relationships. Choosing the right approach is part of the work. Shawn will talk with each person about their goals, history, and preferences, and together they decide what methods to try. That collaborative process includes trying techniques, checking how they land, and adjusting as needed. Confirm current session options before booking so you know how sessions are scheduled. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy day, shorten check-ins when needed, and reduce travel time. It also lets people use video or phone options depending on comfort and bandwidth. Practical benefits include keeping therapy visible in everyday life and helping clients apply skills between sessions.Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
27+ years
Listed in
Massachusetts
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she address?
Shawn works with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and intimacy-related issues, trauma and abuse, grief, sleep and eating difficulties, career strain, and codependency among other concerns.
What is her therapeutic style?
She uses a collaborative, client-centered style that blends evidence-based methods with attention to attachment and life history. The focus is on practical skills and clearer decision making.
How much experience does she have?
Shawn has 27 years of clinical experience as a therapist working with adults on a wide range of emotional and relational issues.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She holds an MA and is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) practicing in Massachusetts.
Which languages are supported?
Sessions are offered in English.
Does she work with international clients?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
How does payment work?
Sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time and cost varies depending on location.
How do I begin working with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are not safe at home, use the crisis and helpline numbers.