Shannan Marano , ACA

Shannan Marano is a Master-level counsellor registered with the Australian Counsellors Association (ACA) at Level 3, bringing three years of clinical experience across community-focused settings. She has worked in Aboriginal Medical Services, Women’s Refuge centres, and Employment Services, where she supported people facing stress, anxiety, depression, addictions, relationship difficulties, trauma, and abuse.

Shannan’s practice emphasizes respectful, sensitive, and compassionate care, with individualized treatment plans shaped to meet each person’s unique needs. Her work spans a broad range of concerns including abandonment and attachment issues, body image and eating-related challenges, caregiver stress, communication problems, dissociation, domestic violence, drug and alcohol addiction, and family of origin matters. She also assists with forgiveness, guilt and shame, isolation and loneliness, life purpose, and end-of-life or hospice-related counseling.

With a commitment to empowerment, Shannan supports people who are ready to take the first steps toward meaningful change. She collaborates with clients to tailor sessions and approaches to their goals and circumstances, helping them build practical strategies for coping with life’s transitions and restoring a greater sense of wellbeing. Shannan looks forward to working alongside individuals on their path toward a more fulfilling and balanced life.

Therapeutic Approaches Adapted for Online Sessions

Shannan integrates Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Attachment-Based Therapy, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy into her online work. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, then clarify personal values and take small steps toward a more meaningful life - it is often useful for stress, anxiety, and coping with change. Attachment-Based Therapy explores patterns formed in early relationships and how they influence current connections and emotional responses, making it helpful for relationship difficulties, abandonment concerns, and some trauma-related issues. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying and shifting unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns to reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and problems with coping.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process, and Shannan works collaboratively with clients and licensed professionals to determine which methods best match a person’s needs, goals, and preferences. She adapts techniques to fit each individual’s situation and evolves the plan as progress is made.

Online sessions offer practical flexibility - video calls, phone appointments, live chat, and text-based messaging make it easier to access therapy from home or on the go. These options increase convenience and can help people maintain continuity of care while balancing work, family, and other commitments.