Shannan Marano, ACA

Shannan Marano is a Master-level counsellor registered with the Australian Counsellors Association (ACA) at Level 3, bringing three years of hands-on experience in several community settings. She has worked across Aboriginal Medical Services, Women's Refuge centres, and Employment Services, gaining experience supporting people through stress, anxiety, addictions, relationship difficulties, trauma, and abuse.

Shannan combines respect, sensitivity, and compassion in her approach, tailoring each session and treatment plan to the unique needs of the person she is working with. Her practice addresses a wide range of concerns including coping with life changes, attachment and abandonment issues, body image, caregiver stress, communication problems, dissociation, domestic violence, substance use, eating and food-related challenges, family of origin matters, guilt and shame, and end-of-life and hospice support.

She aims to empower clients to take the steps toward a more fulfilling and balanced life, offering practical strategies alongside emotional support. Shannan works collaboratively with clients to set goals and adapt interventions as needs evolve. She welcomes the opportunity to support individuals who are ready to begin that process and to work together toward meaningful change.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Support

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) encourages people to clarify their values and take committed action toward them while learning more helpful ways to relate to difficult thoughts and feelings. It can be useful for stress, anxiety, and coping with life changes by fostering psychological flexibility and purposeful behavior.

Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on how early and current relationships shape emotional responses and connection strategies. This approach can help with relationship struggles, attachment concerns, abandonment issues, and communication problems by exploring patterns and building healthier ways of relating.

Finding the right therapeutic approach is part of the process and will be explored collaboratively. Shannan works with clients to identify which methods fit their needs, goals, and personal preferences, and she adapts the approach as therapy progresses.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility - sessions can be scheduled as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit around work, caregiving, or other commitments. These options make it easier to access support from licensed professionals and therapists without needing to travel, so people can focus on consistent progress in a format that suits their life.