Profile / United States
Sharon (Shonnie) Brown, LMFT
California
LMFT - Relationships and Stress
See online therapy options- CBT informed methods
- Attachment focus
- Writing exercises
About Sharon
Sharon (Shonnie) Brown is a California licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) with 30 years of clinical experience. She works with people facing stress, anxiety, relationship problems, self-esteem struggles, career concerns, ADHD, grief, trauma and abuse, and life transitions.
She trained at UC Berkeley and completed a master’s in counseling psychology at JFK University. Her background includes extensive work with individuals and couples and leading groups on separation, infidelity, co-parenting, and social anxiety. She draws on decades of practice to keep sessions focused and practical.
Her style is direct and straightforward. Sharon uses cognitive approaches, client-centered techniques, and elements of dialectical behavior therapy to help people notice unhelpful thoughts and try different responses. She also works with attachment-based ideas when patterns from early relationships affect current life.
Sessions often include goal setting, coping skills, mindfulness practice, and optional writing exercises. Sharon emphasizes simple, measurable steps such as small behavioral experiments and short skill practices between meetings. She helps people build clearer self-protection, self-compassion, and ways to calm strong emotions.
Sharon integrates material on complex childhood trauma when relevant and pays attention to patterns like difficulty self-soothing, guilt, shame, and problems with boundaries. She encourages practical tools for everyday challenges and steady, step-by-step progress.
How her approaches translate to online therapy
Sharon uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify unhelpful thoughts and test more useful responses; this approach often focuses on short experiments and concrete skill practice that translate well to remote sessions. She also works with attachment-based ideas to notice how early relationship patterns shape current reactions and to practice new ways of relating. Client-centered techniques are used to keep the work grounded in what the client finds most important.Choosing an approach is part of the work. Sharon collaborates with clients to decide which methods fit their goals and daily life. She will review options, try interventions, and adjust methods based on what helps in practice rather than relying on a single model.
Confirm the specific online session formats before booking because the biography does not list formats. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy schedule, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and remove travel time. These practical benefits help people maintain regular progress and apply skills between meetings.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
30+ years
Listed in
California
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does she help with most often?
Sharon works with stress, anxiety, relationship issues, self-esteem, career concerns, ADHD, grief, trauma and life changes.
How would she describe her therapeutic approach?
She practices direct, practical therapy using cognitive approaches, client-centered work, and elements of dialectical behavior therapy to build skills and try new behaviors.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 30 years of experience as a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and has led groups on separation, infidelity, co-parenting, and social anxiety.
What is her credential and where is she based?
She is a California LMFT and practices from California.
Which languages are sessions offered in?
Sessions are offered in English.
Does she work with international clients?
International clients are not currently accepted.
How are sessions structured and what formats are available?
Please confirm current session format options before booking by checking the platform details, as formats are not specified in the biography.
How is cost handled and how do I get started?
Cost varies by location and uses a subscription that can be canceled at any time. To begin, select the See online therapy options button, complete the short questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are not safe, use the crisis numbers.