Compassionate presence for grief, trauma, and uncertainty.

sky at dusk, sunset

when the future is unclear

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bearing witness to grief & love

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between what is & what will be

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where meaning unfolds

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when the future is unclear · bearing witness to grief & love · between what is & what will be · where meaning unfolds ·

Shantel Hinnen, LCSW, PMH-C

image of Shantel Hinnen, LCSW

If you are here, you may be standing in a space you never expected to be. Perhaps you have received a devastating diagnosis, experienced the loss of a beloved person, endured a traumatic birth, or faced a life event that has left you feeling untethered.

Liminal space is the place where what was no longer feels intact and what comes next is unclear. This in-between can feel disorienting and profoundly lonely. You do not have to navigate it alone.

I am a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist specializing in grief, trauma, and perinatal mental health. I support individuals and families experiencing traumatic grief, pregnancy and infant loss, prenatal and medical diagnoses, birth trauma, complex trauma, ambiguous loss, and other life-altering transitions.

My approach to therapy is deeply relational. I believe healing begins with compassionate presence. I am honored to sit beside you in uncertainty, to bear witness to what hurts, and to move at a pace that feels safe. Grief is not something to fix. Trauma is not something to be brushed off. Both deserve steady, attuned care.

Care for What You’re Carrying

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    Traumatic Grief & Bereavement

    Therapy for sudden, traumatic, and deeply painful loss.

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    Perinatal Mental Health

    Therapy for pregnancy, postpartum, fertility challenges, and complicated medical journeys.

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    Medical Trauma

    Therapy for overwhelming medical experiences such as hospitalizations, difficult diagnoses, pregnancy complications, ICU stays, or medical procedures.

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    Transition & Uncertain Seasons

    Therapy for periods of change, decision-making, identity shifts, and emotional overwhelm.

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    Complex Trauma

    Therapy for experiences involving prolonged or repeated stressors, such as childhood adversity or ongoing relational trauma.

Request a free consultation

Therapeutic Approach & Training

Specialized Training & Certifications

  • Master of Social Work (MSW), Arizona State University

  • Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners

  • Advanced Compassionate Bereavement Care™ Certified Provider, MISS Foundation

  • Perinatal Mental Health Certification (PMH-C), Postpartum Support International

  • CAMS-Trained, Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality

  • Infant Mental Health Endorsement, In process

Therapy Approaches I Use

  • EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)

  • Parts work (Internal Family Systems Informed)

  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

  • Existential approaches

  • Attachment therapy

  • Person-centered therapy

  • Mindfulness-based approaches

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

  • “To fully inhabit grief is to hold the contradictions of the great mystery that loss shatters us and we become whole. Grief empties us and we are filled with emotion. Fear paralyzes us and we lend courage to another. We mourn our beloved's absence and we invoke their presence."

    Joanne Cacciatore, Bearing the Unbearable: Love, Loss, and the Heartbreaking Path of Grief

  • "Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this, too, was a gift.”

    Mary Oliver, “The Uses Of Sorrow”

  • “Grief and love are sisters, woven together from the beginning. Their kinship reminds us that there is no love that does not contain loss and no loss that is not a reminder of the love we carry for what we once held close.”

    Francis Weller, The Wild Edge of Sorrow: Rituals of Renewal and the Sacred Work of Grief

Ready to take the next step?

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