Sharon (Shonnie) Brown, LMFT

Sharon (Shonnie) Brown is a Northern California native whose life has included adapting to other cultures, a background that informs her compassionate and flexible approach to therapy. She holds a B.A. from UC Berkeley and an M.A. in counseling psychology from JFK University in Orinda, California, and brings 30 years of experience as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT). Her clinical work has focused primarily on individuals and couples, and she has facilitated groups addressing separation and divorce, infidelity, co-parenting education, and social anxiety.

Sharon concentrates on issues such as toxic workplace stress, major life transitions, separation and divorce, infidelity, broken friendships, self-esteem concerns, young adulthood, co-parenting, and aging-related challenges. She is also a professional writer and integrates writing as a therapeutic tool to support emotional processing and healing. Her style is honest, direct, and heartfelt, blending cognitive and solution-focused techniques with family systems and psychodynamic perspectives. Recently she has incorporated Pete Walker, MFT’s roadmap on childhood trauma and Complex PTSD into her work.

Sharon often sees difficulty self-soothing and a lack of self-compassion or self-protection as central obstacles for her clients. She uses goal setting, practical coping skills, mindfulness practices, and optional writing exercises alongside the development of a strong therapeutic relationship. Sharon emphasizes steady, realistic progress and cultivates optimism and gratitude as part of everyday practice. She encourages prospective clients to consider contacting her as a meaningful step toward the changes they want to make in their lives.

Approaches for Online Care and Personal Change

Sharon (Shonnie) Brown draws from Attachment-Based Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to support clients in an online setting. Attachment-Based Therapy explores how early relationship patterns shape current emotional needs and coping styles - it can be helpful for issues like intimacy, abandonment, and relationship difficulties. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes a warm, nonjudgmental therapeutic partnership where the therapist follows the client’s pace and perspective to foster self-understanding and self-compassion. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying and adjusting unhelpful thoughts and behaviors - it is often used for stress, anxiety, mood concerns, and problem-solving during life transitions.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process, and Sharon works collaboratively with each person to determine which methods fit their needs, goals, and preferences. She tailors strategies over time and combines tools in a way that supports steady, practical progress.

Online therapy offers flexibility in how and when clients connect with licensed professionals. Video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging allow people to access support from home, balance appointments with work or family demands, and maintain continuity of care during transitions. These options make it easier to build a consistent therapeutic routine while working with a therapist who can adapt methods to the online format.