Shannon Gaiser , LPC

Shannon Gaiser brings a practical, recovery-focused approach built from years of specialty work in addiction and co-occurring conditions. She holds an MA and is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), along with additional certifications in addiction counseling that reflect focused training in substance use treatment. Shannon has practiced since 2004 and has 17 years of direct experience supporting people through addiction, trauma, mood disorders, and relationship challenges.

She is in long-term recovery from opiate addiction and offers a perspective informed by lived experience as well as clinical training. Shannon has spent nine years working in inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation settings and eight years in private practice collaborating with a suboxone prescriber, which gives her familiarity with medication-assisted approaches. She is open to alternatives and supplements to traditional 12-step programs, including medication-assisted treatment and medical marijuana when clinically appropriate, and she emphasizes individualized pathways to recovery.

Clinically, Shannon draws on client-centered methods, motivational interviewing, and cognitive behavioral techniques to address issues such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, ADHD, bipolar disorder, sexual abuse and trauma, grief, relationship and family concerns, and a range of addiction-related problems. She also works with families to establish healthier boundaries and supports healing around codependency, abandonment, and other relational patterns. Shannon offers text, video, and voice session options and typically aims to respond to messages within five hours, with possible delays on weekends.

Evidence-Based Approaches for Online Recovery and Support

Shannon commonly integrates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Client-Centered Therapy in online work. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns, which can be useful for anxiety, depression, addiction-related behaviors, and stress management. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes empathy, acceptance, and collaboration, helping people feel heard and supported while they explore goals and make changes.

She also uses Motivational Interviewing to help people resolve ambivalence about change - a practical, respectful method that supports commitment to recovery and treatment decisions. Together these approaches allow therapists to tailor work to each person’s needs, whether the focus is building coping skills, addressing substance use, or improving relationships.

Finding the right approach is part of the process and Shannon works collaboratively with each person to identify what fits best based on their needs, goals, and preferences. Online sessions by video, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging offer flexibility for people balancing work, family, or other commitments, and make it easier to access licensed professionals from varied locations. These formats support continuity of care and allow therapy to adapt to a person’s life and schedule.