Leah Shanks
Compassionate, practical therapy for lasting change
LPC-MHSP Tennessee
- Experience
- 15 years in practice
- Focus areas
- Stress, Anxiety, Trauma and abuse, Eating
- Approaches
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Client-Centered Therapy
- Languages
- English
About Leah
Leah Shanks is a licensed professional counselor with 15 years of clinical experience practicing in Tennessee. She focuses on helping adults navigate concerns such as stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, disordered eating, low self-esteem, depression, grief, and challenges related to relationships and parenting.
Background and approach
Her work reflects an emphasis on practical, skill-based care alongside deeper exploration of personal strengths and values. Leah approaches therapy from a respectful, client-centered stance that honors each person as the expert on their own life.
She integrates cognitive behavioral tools to address thought and behavior patterns, and draws on trauma-informed methods including EMDR and somatic techniques when relevant. Her attention to body image, impulsivity, panic symptoms, and mood-related concerns complements support for pregnancy and childbirth issues, self-harm concerns, social anxiety, and compassion fatigue.
Clients can expect a collaborative partnership in which treatment goals are shaped by the client’s priorities and preferences. Leah emphasizes building practical coping strategies while also exploring the underlying experiences that contribute to distress, helping people move toward clearer choices and more sustainable wellbeing.
Approaches That Translate Well to Online Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thought and behavior patterns. It often includes skill-building exercises and homework that help with anxiety, depression, panic symptoms, and mood-related concerns.Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a trauma-focused approach that helps process distressing memories and reduce the intensity of trauma responses. In an online setting it can be adapted to guide clients through structured memory processing work alongside grounding strategies.
Client-centered therapy emphasizes listening, empathy, and collaboration to help clients explore their values and goals. This approach supports building self-understanding and motivation for change, and fits well with a flexible online format where the therapist and client shape the pace together.
Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will work with each person to consider goals, preferences, and symptom patterns, and may combine elements from different methods to suit the client’s needs. Decisions about techniques and pacing are made together so treatment feels purposeful and individualized.
Online sessions are offered through video calls, phone appointments, live chat, or text-based messaging, which can increase flexibility for people with busy schedules or limited local options. These formats allow for regular check-ins, skills practice, and continuity of care while adapting to a client’s availability and comfort with remote work.
Frequently asked questions
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Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
15+ years
Licensed
Tennessee
Languages
English