meet briana SHEA, MS, LPC

I am a straight, cisgender, Puerto Rican and White woman. I am Connecticut raised with diaspora roots in Brooklyn, NY, and Bridgeport, CT. I am a licensed professional counselor (LPC) with a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from Southern Connecticut State University.

La Piedra Escrita, Jayuya, Puerto Rico

I believe we grow up learning stories about ourselves from our families and society; stories of who we are "supposed" to be and where we "ought" to fit. I believe these stories have been told for generations to keep families safe, but ultimately, are damaging to a person’s sense of wholeness. Many of us carry these stories throughout our lives. Without even realizing it, these age-old tales subtly shape nearly every aspect of our daily experience—from the types of romantic partners we seek, to how we view ourselves; from the choices we make as parents, to how we respond to stressful situations.

The bulk of my process lies in the deconstruction of these narratives that are limiting and harmful to how you see yourself in the world. In doing so, you free up space to respond from who you are, not where you've been. You begin choosing from a place of alignment, not old pain. My therapeutic lens encompasses trauma-centered, feminist, and anti-oppressive frameworks. I weave somatic practices, mindfulness, and creative expression throughout my work. I credit these practices to indigenous wisdom; the body has a way of knowing and like many of our ancestors, I see art, storytelling, movement, sound, and play as tools to give permission to the sensations and experiences that are nested within.

While my work extends to folx of all backgrounds, ages, and life stories, I strive to dedicate safe spaces to Latine girls and women. As a Puerto Rican therapist, I walk with Latine clients through culturally rooted healing. Together, we honor ancestral legacies of struggle and strength as we make space for new stories of healing to emerge. I have experience in working with child and adult survivors of domestic and sexual violence, single-mothers, LGBTQIA+ folx, veterans, and neurodivergent folx.

Education

M.S. Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Southern Connecticut State University

B.S. Early Childhood Education, Southern Connecticut State University

B.A. Psychology, Southern Connecticut State University

licensure & certifications

Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), State of Connecticut

Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), State of South Carolina

Reiki I Certified Practitioner, Riversedge Healing Center

200hr Yoga Teacher Training, House of Om

Circle of Security Program Facilitator for Parents and Caregivers, Circle of Security International

Triple P Family Practitioner, Triple P Positive Parenting Program

Remote Application of Expressive Arts Strategies, The Institute for Creative Mindfulness

Trauma-Informed Yoga Nidra for Clinical Professionals, The Institute for Creative Mindfulness

Experience

  • community outreach clinician

    I worked in community and home settings throughout New Hampshire and Connecticut to support the unique needs of many families. In New Hampshire, I worked closely with families working towards reunification from a trauma-informed perspective. Using principles from Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI), I supported children and families impacted by trauma and faulty systems. I assisted parents with community-based resources while providing emotional support and psychoeducation. Likewise, I met with children to provide supportive mental health services and transportation to their families.

    In both New Hampshire and Connecticut, I provided training to caregivers, whole families, and foster parents on trauma-informed and attachment-based practices for caring for children with trauma, adjustment disorders, and special needs. I used a whole-child, whole-family approach that has formed the foundation of my work as a therapist today.

  • trauma-centered and expressive arts therapist

    I am a trained therapist from the Post Traumatic Stress Center of New Haven, CT. There, I provided psychotherapy to individuals ages 5-75 with a focus on trauma through the lens of art, movement, and drama therapy. I additionally co-facilitated a women’s trauma group.

    Following my work at the Center, I moved to a private practice setting where I learned skills to approach trauma work from a somatic perspective by incorporating tools used in Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR).

  • trauma-centered school-based clinician

    Through the Miss Kendra Program, I taught whole classroom lessons that normed conversations around trauma, resilience, and social-emotional learning to students in grades 1-12 in New Haven Public Schools. I used art and play-based interventions with individual students to reduce stress. I worked closely with Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services to provide these same creative-based interventions to newcomer and refugee students.

    Through the Miss Kendra program, I partnered with the Child Health and Development Institute to offer professional development to high school teachers across Connecticut on trauma-informed practices to improve school climate.

  • early childhood and special education teacher

    In my early career, I worked in schools in Connecticut as a teacher, assistant teacher, paraprofessional, and literacy intervention specialist in grades k-3. I relocated to a private elementary and secondary school in Massachusetts to work as an applied behavioral analysis (ABA) counselor. There, I provided individualized educational services to students ages 5-22 with autism spectrum disorder and other intellectual and developmental disabilities. It was through my experiences in schools that I came to realize how much I enjoyed working with children, teens, and adults from a social-emotional standpoint.