Meet Shanna
Meet Shanna Choudhary
Counselling can be a place to make sense of what feels tangled, overwhelming, or difficult to put into words. You do not have to hold it all alone.
There can be room for the complexity of being human, for what is clear, what is uncertain, and what may not yet be ready to be spoken about. I offer counselling for people who would like to understand themselves more deeply, meet themselves with greater compassion, and make sense of the experiences, relationships, changes, and questions shaping their lives.
My approach is warm, collaborative, and person-centred. What matters to you helps shape our work together. You do not need to arrive with the right words, a diagnosis, a clear goal, or a fully formed story. We can begin with whatever feels important, manageable, or possible to bring.
I value building a genuine therapeutic relationship over time. I will meet you with care, sensitivity, honesty, respect, and clear professional boundaries. You are welcome to ask questions, pause, change direction, disagree, or decide that something is not yet ready to be explored. There is no pressure to disclose more than feels comfortable enough.
I will take my lead from what feels important to you, while remaining attentive to what may be worth noticing together. With your permission, I may offer gentle reflections, questions, or different ways of understanding something. The choices remain yours.
Trauma-informed and neuro-affirming
My work is trauma-informed and neuro-affirming. I welcome people who identify as neurodivergent, are exploring that possibility, have a formal diagnosis, or simply know that conventional expectations do not fit well for them. This may include communication, sensory needs, energy, pace, or the ways you prefer to be present in a session.
You do not need to mask, suppress your needs, or make yourself easier to understand here. We can talk together about what may make counselling more workable for you.
What I am drawn to
I am particularly drawn to work around self-understanding, self-compassion, shame, perfectionism, and the inner critic. I also work with questions of identity, change, grief, uncertainty, and meaning. I make room for relationship patterns, family experiences, identity, neurodivergence, culture, social expectations, and the wider social and political contexts that shape how we come to see ourselves.
You do not have to earn care and respect by having the right words, making sense of everything, or already knowing what needs to change. With time and trust, being met in this way can soften shame and self-judgement, making more room for honesty, self-compassion, and choice.
A naturopath's perspective
I am also a qualified naturopath with 12 years of clinical practice. This practice is currently focused on counselling, and I am not seeing naturopathy clients at this time. That said, my naturopathic training runs through everything I do. It gives me a deep, practical understanding of the body, and of how stress, lifestyle, and overall wellbeing shape how we feel. That perspective helps me hold your experience in a more complete way.
Qualifications
- Master of Counselling, University of Canberra
- Qualified Naturopath (12 years clinical practice)
Outside the work
Outside my work, I value time in nature, live music, belly laughs, being with the people and greyhound I love, and good books. I also enjoy the freedom of being out on my motorbike.