Patrick Shanahan, LCSW

Missouri · 44 years in practice

Patrick Shanahan is a licensed clinical social worker with 44 years of practice.

License and registration

LCSW, Missouri: 000602 · expires September 2027
NPI: 1255999231 · national provider identifier
Years in practice: 44
Languages: English

Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check the license with the issuing state board, and the NPI with the national registry.

About Patrick

Patrick Shanahan is a licensed clinical social worker with 44 years of practice. He focuses on helping people who feel stuck, guiding them toward clearer values and healthier choices. He uses practical conversations and gentle techniques to help clients move forward.

He believes people are generally self-correcting and that getting stuck is often temporary. His work draws on ideas from Carl Jung and Milton Erickson and includes hypnotherapy as one of the tools he uses.

Background and approach

Patrick places strong emphasis on personal values to shape meaningful direction and solutions. Early in his career he started and ran an outpatient clinic connected to a runaway and homeless youth shelter. For 18 years he provided case management, individual therapy, and family work both inside the shelter and in community settings.

He also trained and supervised paid staff and graduate students during that time. He later worked with a university on research to refine treatment models and completed 29 hours toward a Ph.D. in family therapy, including a fellowship offer from Washington University. He spent 18 years in managed care helping members use mental health benefits and providing phone therapy and crisis intervention.

Patrick blends several practical approaches in sessions, including cognitive behavioral strategies, acceptance and commitment ideas, attachment-focused thinking, client-centered listening, and structural and strategic systems concepts. He draws on decades of varied settings to tailor how he works to each person’s needs.

Focus areas and approaches

Everything Patrick lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.

Relationship issues
Grief
Anger management
Self esteem
Depression
Stress, Anxiety
Addictions
Family conflicts
Trauma and abuse
Intimacy-related issues
Parenting issues
Career difficulties
Coping with life changes
Coaching
Compassion fatigue
Adoption and foster care
Aging and geriatric issues
Blended family issues
Caregiver issues and stress
Codependency
Communication problems
Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
Divorce and separation
Domestic violence
Drug and alcohol addiction
Family of origin issues
Family problems
Fatherhood issues
First responder issues
Forgiveness
Guilt and shame
Hospice and end-of-life counseling
Infidelity
Isolation / loneliness
Jealousy
Life purpose
Men's issues
Midlife crisis
Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
Money and financial issues
Multicultural concerns
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
Self-love
Workplace issues
Young adult issues

Approaches Patrick names

Naming an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist lists and does not check training records.

Online support

How his approaches translate to online therapy

Patrick uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help people clarify what matters most, accept difficult thoughts, and take small actions toward chosen values; this approach often helps with anxiety, depression, and life transitions. He also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify unhelpful thinking and test new behaviors through practical exercises that can be done between sessions. Hypnotherapy is included as another tool to support relaxation, focus, and shifting patterns that feel stuck when appropriate for the client.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. He will collaborate with each person to choose techniques that fit their goals, needs, and comfort level. Sessions may combine methods and evolve over time as progress is made.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video allows face-to-face conversation and visual cues, phone calls can be a simpler option when bandwidth is limited, live chat is useful for shorter check-ins, and text messaging supports ongoing reflection between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life and to access help from different locations.

We will earn a commission if you sign up through our link, at no cost to you. It does not change what you pay or the order of the listings.

Questions people ask

What kinds of concerns does he help with?

He works with relationship issues, grief, anger, low self-esteem, depression, stress, anxiety, addictions, family and trauma-related concerns, and related life changes.

What is his general therapy style?

Sessions are practical and conversational, focused on problem solving and helping people reconnect with their values. He uses a mix of approaches to match each person's needs.

How much experience does he have?

He brings 44 years of experience across outpatient clinics, shelter-based services, managed care, research collaboration, and supervision of staff and students.

What credentials and location are listed?

He holds an LCSW - Licensed Clinical Social Worker - and practices from Missouri.

Which languages and international clients are supported?

Sessions are offered in English, and he accepts international clients.

What session formats are available?

He works via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different needs and schedules.

How is cost handled?

Costs vary with location and therapist arrangements; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.

How do I begin working with him?

Select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to the therapist's availability.

Is this your profile?

Ask us to correct details or take the page down.