Pronouns: She/Her/她
Shanise believes that therapists and their clients are partners and collaborators throughout the therapeutic process. She recognizes that healing is not linear and will be there to support her clients in finding comfort within the discomfort. Shanise emphasizes the present moment and the therapeutic relationship, with the goal of strengthening the alliance and helping clients apply their insights beyond the therapy room. She collaborates with clients to explore creative approaches that align with their needs, always through a multicultural, feminist, and queer-affirmative lens.
Her clinical interests include culture-of-origin challenges, life transitions, and identity development related to culture, sexuality, and gender. Shanise has a special interest and experience in working with people from an Asian or Asian American background, clients who identify with the LGBTQ+ community, and clients who have an illness, chronic condition, are in end-of-life care, or are caregivers to someone in these health situations.
Shanise is in her final year of Santa Clara University’s counseling psychology master’s program, with an emphasis on LGBTQ+ counseling. She graduated with a B.A. in studio art and a minor in human development from the University of California, San Diego. As a lifelong learner, Shanise also went on to attain an A.S. in biology and a certificate in pre-counseling from the College of San Mateo. Her diverse background informs her therapeutic work by integrating both creative and science-backed perspectives. Outside of work, Shanise enjoys being in nature, tending to her carnivorous plants, visiting museums, and learning fun facts about dinosaurs and ancient marine reptiles.