Shawn Mcgivern, LMHC - Therapist in Massachusetts

Emotionally-Focused Therapy
ACT and CBT methods
Relationship patterns

About Shawn

Shawn Mcgivern is an MA, Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) practicing in Massachusetts with 27 years of experience. She works with people facing stress, anxiety, depression, relationship strain, trauma and abuse, and grief. She also helps with eating and sleeping concerns, intimacy-related issues, and challenges tied to identity and LGBT concerns.

She uses Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) alongside approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Attachment-Based Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Sessions focus on naming hard-to-spot emotions, looking at how feelings influence behavior, and improving the ways people connect with themselves and others. Shawn pays attention to interpersonal patterns that keep problems going and helps clients try different responses in real situations.

Shawn supports people working through abandonment, attachment issues, adoption and foster care concerns, and blended family stress. She also addresses caregiver strain, body image and eating concerns, codependency, commitment and communication problems, and difficulties arising after divorce or separation. Her work includes coping strategies for life changes and career-related stress.

Her style is collaborative and client-centered. She offers practical tools such as behavior-focused exercises and skills drawn from ACT and CBT while attending to the emotional experience that drives patterns in relationships. The aim is clearer self-understanding, steadier emotions, and more effective ways of handling everyday difficulties.

Sessions are designed to help people build better communication, manage strong feelings, and develop workable plans for change. To begin, prospective clients are asked to use the site process to complete a short questionnaire and schedule a first session.

How Shawn’s approaches translate to online care

Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) focuses on identifying and shifting patterns of emotion and connection. It helps when relationship patterns and hard-to-name feelings keep repeating. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) teaches practical skills for living with difficult thoughts and emotions while choosing values-based actions. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at early and ongoing relationship patterns and how they shape current bonds and reactions.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work. Shawn will collaborate with each person to decide which methods fit their goals and preferences. She blends approaches as needed so sessions match what the client wants to address, whether that is communication, grief, or managing strong emotions.

The practical benefits of remote sessions include easier fitting therapy into a busy schedule and fewer logistical barriers to attending appointments. Confirm the current session formats before booking, since options are not specified here. Many people find remote sessions useful for shorter check-ins, quieter conversations that don’t require travel, or fitting a session into a workday break. Licensed professionals can adapt EFT, ACT, and attachment-based techniques to an online format to focus on emotion, behavior, and relationship patterns.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Stress, AnxietyRelationship issuesTrauma and abuse Grief Depression

Also works with

LGBTFamily conflictsIntimacy-related issuesEating disordersSleeping disordersParenting issuesAnger managementSelf esteemCareer difficultiesCoping with life changesCoaching

Additional focus areas

AbandonmentAdoption and foster careAging and geriatric issuesAttachment issuesAvoidant personalityBlended family issuesBody imageCaregiver issues and stress Codependency Commitment issues Communication problems Control issuesDependent personalityDissociationDivorce and separationEating and food-related issuesEmptinessFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsFatherhood issuesFirst responder issuesForgiveness Guilt and shameImmigration issuesImpulsivityInfidelity Isolation / loneliness Jealousy Life purpose Midlife crisisMoney and financial issuesMood disordersMulticultural concernsNarcissismObsessions, compulsions, and OCDPanic disorder and panic attacksPhobiasPost-traumatic stressPrejudice and discriminationSeasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-loveSex addictionSexual assault and abuseSexual dysfunctionSexualitySocial anxiety and phobiaSomatizationTrichotillomaniaWomen's issuesWorkplace issues

Therapeutic approaches

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)Attachment-Based Therapy Client-Centered Therapy Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)Existential Therapy Gottman Method Imago Relationship Therapy Jungian Therapy Mindfulness Therapy Motivational Interviewing Narrative Therapy Psychodynamic Therapy Solution-Focused Therapy Somatic Therapy Trauma-Focused Therapy Internal Family Systems

Experience

27+ years

Listed in

Massachusetts

Languages

English

Frequently asked questions

What concerns does Shawn commonly address?

She works with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, grief, relationship and intimacy-related issues, and a range of other concerns listed on her profile.

What is her therapeutic style?

Her style is collaborative and client-centered, combining Emotionally-Focused Therapy with ACT, CBT, Attachment-Based and client-centered techniques.

How much experience does she have?

She has 27 years of clinical experience as a practicing therapist in Massachusetts.

What are her credentials and location?

She holds an MA and is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) based in Massachusetts.

Which languages are supported?

Sessions are offered in English.

Does she accept international clients?

International clients are not currently accepted.

How does billing and cost work?

Cost varies with location; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.

How do I begin working with her?

Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.

Profile details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. Credential and registration rules differ between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.