Sharon (Shonnie) Brown , LMFT

Sharon (Shonnie) Brown is a Northern California native who has spent much of her adult life navigating different cultures and life transitions. Those personal experiences - including divorce and longstanding shyness - helped shape her approach to psychotherapy and fostered an acceptance of change as an integral part of life.

She earned a B.A. from UC Berkeley and an M.A. in counseling psychology from JFK University in Orinda, California. She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), a professional credential indicating specialization in relationship and family systems, and has more than 30 years of clinical experience working primarily with individuals and couples. Over the years she has led groups focused on separation and divorce, infidelity, co-parenting education, and social anxiety.

Her clinical interests include toxic workplace stress, major life transitions, separation and divorce, infidelity, relationship difficulties, broken friendships, self-esteem struggles, young adulthood concerns, co-parenting, and aging issues. She is also a professional writer and often integrates writing as a therapeutic tool.

Sharon’s style is honest, direct, and heartfelt. She draws from cognitive and solution-focused methods, family systems, and psychodynamic approaches, and has recently incorporated Pete Walker, MFT’s roadmap for childhood trauma and Complex PTSD into her work. She commonly addresses difficulties with self-soothing, tolerance of painful emotions, and limited self-compassion, using goal setting, coping skills, mindfulness practices, writing exercises when desired, and a strong therapeutic relationship. She encourages taking one step at a time toward the changes clients want to make in their lives.

Approach-Focused Online Therapy with Sharon (Shonnie) Brown

Attachment-Based Therapy explores how early relationship patterns shape current connections and emotional responses. It helps people understand difficulties with intimacy, abandonment, trust, and longstanding attachment issues by tracing how past bonds influence present behavior and feelings.

Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes empathy, acceptance, and the client’s own capacity for growth. In this approach the therapist creates a supportive environment where clients can explore identity, self-esteem, life purpose, and transitions while the therapist follows the client’s lead.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) offers practical tools to identify and shift unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. It is useful for managing anxiety, depression, stress, sleep problems, and patterns that interfere with daily functioning.

Choosing the right approach is part of the therapeutic journey. Sharon works collaboratively with each person to assess needs, goals, and preferences, and tailors techniques so therapy fits the individual rather than forcing a single method.

Online therapy sessions - whether by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging - make it easier to access consistent care amid busy schedules and life changes. For many individuals, these options increase flexibility, reduce travel time, and allow ongoing work on relationships, coping skills, and personal goals from wherever they are located, with licensed professionals and therapists providing clinical guidance.