Sharon (Shonnie) Brown , LMFT

Sharon (Shonnie) Brown is a licensed marriage and family therapist with 30 years of experience. She focuses on stress, anxiety, relationship struggles, self-esteem, career concerns, ADHD, trauma and abuse, grief, intimacy issues, sleep problems, parenting, anger, depression, and life transitions. She also pays attention to topics like abandonment, attachment issues, codependency, and self-love.

Sharon writes plainly and directly in sessions. She uses practical tools such as goal setting, coping skills, mindfulness, and writing exercises when helpful. She emphasizes building a strong therapeutic relationship and helps people learn to self-soothe and increase self-compassion.

Her background includes a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley and an M.A. in counseling psychology from JFK University in Orinda, California. She has worked extensively with individuals and couples and led group programs on separation and divorce, infidelity, co-parenting, and social anxiety.

In sessions she often focuses on toxic workplace stress, major life changes, separation and divorce, broken friendships, young adulthood issues, co-parenting, and aging concerns. She draws on a mix of approaches to match the person and the problem rather than using one fixed method.

Sharon describes her style as honest, direct, and caring. She encourages small steps toward change, everyday practices like gratitude, and the use of writing as a tool for emotional healing. Her practice is based in California and she holds the CA LMFT credential.

Therapeutic approaches for online care

Attachment-based work focuses on patterns from early relationships and how they shape current intimacy and trust. It helps people understand reactions in relationships and practice new ways of connecting. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at the link between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and teaches practical skills to change unhelpful patterns that worsen anxiety, depression, or stress. Client-centered therapy centers the person's own goals and pacing, giving space for honest, empathetic listening while the client explores values, meaning, and life choices.

Finding the right combination of approaches is part of the process. The therapist will collaborate with the client to decide which methods fit best based on the issues, goals, and personal style. Sessions can include short-term skill building or longer work on patterns, depending on what the client wants.

Online therapy offers flexibility and makes it easier to fit care into a busy life. Video calls let people use visual cues and longer conversational sessions, while phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited or when someone prefers not to be on camera. Live chat and text-based messaging can support quick check-ins, journaling prompts, or between-session coaching and are useful for shorter updates or when writing feels helpful. These options help people connect with licensed professionals from different locations and maintain continuity of care during life transitions.