- Years in practice
- 19
- Credentials
- LPC-MH
- Licensed in
- South Dakota
- Languages
- English
- Focus
- Stress, Anxiety
- Focus
- Relationship issues
- Focus
- Trauma and abuse
About Shanua
Shanua Smith is a licensed professional counselor with mental health designation, LPC-MH, and 19 years of experience working in South Dakota. She helps people who are feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, parenting concerns, addiction, or relationship and intimacy issues.
Her tone is calm and straightforward, and she aims to make the first steps toward support feel manageable for worried parents and adults. Shanua creates a respectful, nonjudgmental space where people can talk about what is happening in their lives.
Background and approach
She uses practical tools and collaborative conversations to help clients build coping skills and clearer routines. Sessions focus on everyday challenges like sleep, eating, anger, work stress, and moments of feeling stuck. Her work draws on client-centered methods that put the person's goals first.
She also uses cognitive behavioral techniques to identify unhelpful thinking and EMDR and trauma-focused strategies when past events are getting in the way of daily life. Motivational interviewing is used to support change when people feel uncertain or stuck. Shanua pays attention to attachment and abandonment concerns, body image, communication problems, caregiver stress, and the emotional effects of illness or loss.
She supports people dealing with ADHD, bipolar mood concerns, and compassion fatigue, and she offers coaching-style help for career or life transitions. Sessions are offered in English. Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different schedules and needs.
What Shanua works with
Everything Shanua lists, in the therapist's own terms. Parenting is the reason this directory exists; the rest shows what else Shanua helps people with.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Depression
- Addictions
- Family conflicts
- Intimacy-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Sleeping disorders
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Coping with life changes
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Body image
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Emptiness
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Impulsivity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Personality disorders
- Post-traumatic stress
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
Approaches Shanua lists
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Motivational Interviewing
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist names and does not check training records.
How Shanua’s Approaches Work Online
Shanua uses client-centered therapy to start by listening and prioritizing each person’s goals. That approach focuses on understanding a person's experience and shaping sessions around what matters most to them. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, helps people notice thinking and behavior patterns and then practice different responses to reduce anxiety, improve sleep, or change habits. EMDR, when used, focuses on processing distressing memories so they have less impact on day-to-day life and can be helpful for trauma-related symptoms.Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Shanua will talk with each person about their goals, symptoms, and preferences and then suggest which methods to try. She checks in over time and adjusts the plan so the work stays practical and relevant to parenting and daily life demands.
Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to make care fit into busy schedules. Video lets people use facial cues and screen sharing for exercises. Phone sessions can work when bandwidth or screen time is limited. Live chat or messaging supports brief check-ins, coaching-style guidance, or continued reflection between longer sessions. These options aim to make it easier to keep therapy consistent while juggling family and work commitments.
Questions people ask about Shanua
What kinds of concerns does Shanua address?
She supports people with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, grief, addictions, parenting concerns, relationship and intimacy issues, and related challenges such as sleep and eating problems.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her style is warm and straightforward. She focuses on practical tools, collaborative conversation, and helping clients set clear goals.
What is her background and experience?
Shanua has 19 years of clinical experience and has worked with a wide range of emotional and life concerns in South Dakota.
What credentials does she hold and where is she located?
She holds the LPC-MH credential and practices in South Dakota.
Which languages are supported and can international clients join?
Sessions are offered in English. International clients are not currently accepted.
What session formats are available?
Shanua offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to suit different needs and schedules.
How is cost handled for sessions?
Cost varies with location and therapist arrangements; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Click the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule sessions based on therapist availability.
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