About Shannon
Shannon Rapalo Medina is a licensed independent clinical social worker with seven years of experience helping people cope with stress and anxiety. She focuses on practical, step-by-step support for mood concerns, grief, and trauma-related struggles. Her style is straightforward and compassionate, aiming to make the first steps less overwhelming for someone reaching out.
Shannon creates a calm space where clients can talk about hard feelings without judgment. She listens for concrete patterns that keep problems repeating and works with people to try different strategies.
Background and approach
Sessions emphasize small, manageable changes and skills that can be used between meetings. Her approach blends Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy tools to address distressing thoughts and strong emotions. She also uses Motivational Interviewing and Solution-Focused techniques to set realistic goals and build momentum.
For those affected by past harm, Trauma-Focused Therapy methods are available to process painful memories at a pace that feels right. Shannon often helps people untangle guilt, shame, and isolation while exploring values like self-love and forgiveness. She also supports conversations about life purpose and practical money or career stress.
The work is collaborative - the client’s goals shape each step. Based in Minnesota, Shannon conducts sessions in English. She aims to help people move from feeling stuck toward clearer choices and steadier moods.
How Shannon’s approaches translate to online therapy
Shannon uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people notice and change unhelpful thought and behavior patterns; this approach is useful for anxiety, depression, and stress because it focuses on practical exercises and coping strategies. She also draws on Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills to teach emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and better interpersonal tools for managing intense feelings. Motivational Interviewing is used to clarify goals and build motivation when someone feels stuck or unready to change.Choosing the right approach is a team effort. Shannon works with each client to decide which methods fit their goals and comfort level. She will check in regularly and adjust the plan as progress and needs change, keeping the focus on what helps most in daily life.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video sessions let people work through skills face to face while phone sessions are a good option when bandwidth is limited or a quick check-in is needed. Live chat and text-based messaging allow short check-ins, progress notes, or between-session support without scheduling a full session. These options are meant to make therapy more flexible and easier to use alongside work, family, and other responsibilities.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
Also listed
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 7 years
- Licensed
- Minnesota
- Languages
- English
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