Shawna Pankonin , LPC

Shawna Pankonin is a licensed professional counselor who helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship conflict, and parenting challenges. She supports those coping with grief, self-esteem struggles, career concerns, bipolar mood challenges, and LGBT-related issues. Shawna emphasizes practical steps and steady progress rather than quick fixes. She works with people navigating adoption and foster care, blended family issues, fertility concerns, and caregiver stress.

Shawna brings 14 years of experience across homes, residential care, schools, youth court systems, outpatient clinics, and a Child Advocacy Center in the Gulf Coast region. That variety shaped her ability to meet people where they are and to adapt her approach to different life situations. She explains things plainly and focuses on what will help most in day-to-day life.

In sessions she starts by listening to a person’s story and learning what matters to them. She uses client-centered methods that let the client guide the work, and pairs those with cognitive-behavioral tools to address thinking patterns that keep people stuck. Mindfulness practices and solution-focused steps are woven in when they match a person’s goals.

Shawna aims to create sessions that are warm and straightforward. She helps people set realistic goals, break problems into manageable steps, and build confidence to move forward. She is honest about the effort needed for change and commits to walking alongside clients through that process.

Shawna practices in Mississippi and offers services in English. She accepts international clients and works with a wide range of family and trauma-related concerns, including domestic violence, family of origin issues, and communication problems.

Approaches you can use online

Shawna uses client-centered therapy to focus on each person’s priorities and values. That approach means sessions begin by listening closely and letting the client guide what matters most. It helps people who need steady support while making decisions about relationships, parenting, or life changes.

She also uses cognitive-behavioral therapy, which looks at how thoughts and behaviors influence moods. CBT provides clear tools and homework-style steps to reduce anxiety, manage depression, or address patterns that hurt relationships. Mindfulness techniques are added when helpful to build moment-to-moment awareness and reduce reactivity.

Finding the right blend of approaches is part of the work. Shawna collaborates with clients to choose methods that match goals, preferences, and life demands. She adjusts tools over time so the plan stays practical and relevant.

Online therapy offers flexibility for people with busy schedules or long commutes. Video calls let sessions feel similar to in-person meetings, phone sessions use less bandwidth and can be easier for quick check-ins, and live chat or text-based messaging work well for shorter updates or when writing helps express thoughts. These options make it easier to keep consistent momentum and fit therapy into everyday life.