About Shalawn
Shalawn Childs is a therapist who approaches care with practical, evidence-based methods. She is an MD and a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, and she brings three years of clinical experience to her work. She focuses on stress, anxiety, addiction concerns, trauma and abuse, and depression.
She also supports people facing chronic pain and illness, first responder issues, and discrimination-related stress. Shalawn centers sessions on the person's experience and strengths. She encourages clients to see themselves as the expert in their own story and uses that perspective to set goals together.
Background and approach
Conversations are aimed at building everyday skills that help reduce worry and improve coping. Her background includes work addressing substance use and LGBT-related concerns, and she can communicate in American Sign Language as well as English. That range lets her adapt approaches to different life situations, cultures, and communication needs.
In sessions she focuses on clear, practical steps rather than medical jargon. She supports people through problem solving, emotion regulation, and pacing recovery from trauma or addictive behaviors. The work is collaborative and paced to what each person needs.
Beginning therapy with Shalawn starts with a short matching questionnaire and scheduling a time that fits. She practices in Maryland and uses formats that suit busy lives, including video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text messaging.
Evidence-based approaches and flexible online care
Shalawn uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques to help people manage anxiety and stress. One approach focuses on teaching concrete coping skills to reduce worry and improve daily functioning, such as pacing activities and breaking problems into smaller steps. Another approach addresses addictive behaviors by helping a person identify triggers, build alternative routines, and strengthen coping strategies to reduce harmful use.The choice of approach is collaborative. She works with each person to decide which techniques fit their goals, life demands, and preferences. That shared planning helps shape session tasks, homework, and the pace of work so it feels manageable.
Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to match different needs. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and visual cues. Phone sessions can work when bandwidth is limited or a shorter check-in is needed. Live chat and text messaging offer shorter, more frequent touchpoints between calls. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work, caregiving, or unpredictable schedules while keeping treatment focused and practical.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
Also listed
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Depression
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Family problems
- First responder issues
- Hearing impaired
- Multicultural concerns
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Trauma and abuse
- Experience
- 3 years
- Licensed
- Maryland
- Languages
- English, American Sign Language
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