Psychotherapy & Forensic Services Staff

Shannon Brown  is a therapist who is devoted to providing a safe space for LGBTQ+ people living in Tennessee as well as non-LGBTQ+ people. 

She focuses on increasing every person's sense of empowerment & self-determination, providing advocacy to minimize barriers for change & growth, & educating all clients & family/community members. Shannon provides therapy for adults, couples & families.  

Shannon holds a master’s degree in Social Work from Case Western Reserve University, is an Irene Sogg Gross Humanitarian Service award recipient (2007), is a Professional Achievement in Direct Practice award recipient (2018) & was inducted as an honored Member of the Hall of Achievement (2018).

Susan is a native Maryvillian. She is familiar with the stigma related to mental health. Susan is an avid advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. She believes that EVERYONE deserves the chance to life their authentic life. Susan strives to create a safe and welcoming environment. 

She has been working in social services and mental health for over 10 years. Susan has experience in numerous areas of mental health and has taught classes in collaboration with DCS on parenting, alcohol and drug education, non-offender parenting anger management, and relapse prevention. She has worked as a therapist with substance abuse, mental health and adult residential services. She likes to bring a creative balance to her work, incorporating creativity through her individual and group sessions. 

She has completed trainings for specialization in:

LGBTQIAS2+ counseling

ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy)

IFS (Internal Family Systems)

CCTP/CCTPII (Certified Complex Trauma Professional)

Personality Disorder Treatment Professional

Women’s Mental Health Certification (In Process)

Integrative Sex and Couples Certification (In Process)

Susan is additionally specialized in working with:

• Anger and Anger Management
• Anxiety  
• Betrayal trauma
• Body & Sex Positivity
• Boundary/boundaries development
• Cultural diversity issues
• Disempowerment
• Domestic Violence 
• Emergency Responder & Public Safety
• Family/community rejection
• Family conflict
• Forensic-related issues pertaining to the legal system
• Kink/BDSM
• LGBTQ+ health issues
• LGBTQ+ safe space for exploring any/all issues 
• LGBTQ+ marital/couples issues
• LGBTQ+ family issues
• Mood disorders
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorders
• Personality disorders 
• Psychotic Disorders
• PTSD/CPTSD/PTI
• Self-esteem, self-confidence 
• Stress management 
• Substance Abuse Recovery
• Suicidal/Homicidal Ideation
• Transgender-related issues
• Women's issues

Susan accepts private pay at a rate of $100/session.

To schedule an appointment:

call or text (865) 210-8222 or email susan@safewholehappytherapy.com

Ettrick joined Psychotherapy & Forensic Services in March 2020. 

He loves to assist with the therapeutic process by sitting with you in the waiting area, walking with you into your therapy session, sitting in your lap, howling to let you know he's missed you, putting a foot on you if you need some comfort, showing you happiness to let you know that you're important, & sleeping close by in case you need him. 

He is very mindful of noises and does his very best to remain quiet so people can concentrate. If he notices you need to feel protected, sometimes he will bark to let you know he is keeping you safe and scaring away any danger you may feel. 

He knows some important commands, like "Sit!" "Stay!" and "Boundaries!" He knows some other important commands too because he's very smart. 

Ettrick believes that love, kindness, respect, patience, and safety are the most important...unless there's a treat close by. In those cases, treats are the most important. 

Ettrick says, "I have an imperfect smile & I love that about myself. When I was a baby, people thought it was a flaw and they didn't want me. People said I was ugly. But what people thought were imperfections, are my best qualities. I learned this about myself and because of this, I'm very happy."