Patrick Shanahan, LCSW

Patrick Shanahan is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in Missouri with 44 years of clinical experience. He works with adults on relationship problems, blended family issues, grief, anxiety, depression, addictions and stress. Patrick helps people sort practical next steps and understand how their values affect choices.

He draws on work influenced by Carl Jung and Milton Erickson and believes people can self-correct when stuck. He uses clear problem-solving methods rather than abstract theory. Conversations focus on what is getting in the way now and what concrete changes are possible next.

Early in his career he created and ran an outpatient clinic attached to a runaway and homeless youth shelter. For 18 years he provided case management, individual therapy, and family work in the shelter and the community. That experience shaped his approach to crisis work and systems-based problem solving.

He later supervised staff and graduate students and partnered with a university to research and refine clinical models. He completed 29 hours toward a Ph.D. in family therapy and was offered a fellowship at Washington University. He also worked in faith-based outpatient care providing professional Christian therapy.

Patrick spent 18 years in managed care helping members use their mental health benefits and providing phone therapy and crisis intervention. In outpatient settings he continued work on addictions, communication problems, codependency, and fatherhood issues. His practice aims to combine direct methods with attention to a person's values and relationships.