I’m Amber Shanahan, a counsellor offering trauma-informed, nervous-system-aware support.
My Approach
My approach has been shaped over time through training, lived experience, and a growing understanding of how stress, health, and adaptation influence our lives.
Earlier in my own life, I lived with chronic digestive issues, anxiety and depression, long bouts of insomnia, and a persistent sense of overwhelm. I explored many approaches that offered temporary relief, but few that helped things settle in a lasting way.
This personal experience was later met by something far more confronting — my son’s prolonged hospitalization following medical errors. Coming that close to losing him revealed how fragile safety can be within systems we’re taught to trust, and fundamentally shifted how I understood stress, safety, and the body. It also marked a turning point in my life, prompting a significant change in direction and a return to school midlife.
During that time, I began learning everything I could about health, prevention, and root causes, starting with nutrition as the most accessible place to intervene. As my education continued, it became clear that physical health could not be separated from emotional experience, prolonged stress, and the nervous system. What began with nutrition gradually expanded into integrative somatic approaches, trauma-informed and attachment-informed perspectives, and ultimately counselling.
Across these areas, a consistent theme emerged: many of the patterns people struggle with are meaningful adaptations shaped by lived experience. Rather than viewing these patterns as problems to be corrected, my training taught me to approach them with curiosity and respect. Change, in my experience, tends to happen not through force or fixing, but through increased awareness, emotional safety, and the gradual expansion of choice.
Training & Education
The training listed here reflects the education most relevant to my current work in counselling and trauma-informed practice.
I am currently completing my training toward accreditation as a Registered Professional Counsellor, with supervised clinical hours in progress (1,725 hours).
My broader holistic training includes:
Registered Holistic Nutritionist (1,200 hours)
Certified Integrative Somatic Practitioner (60 hours)
Certified in Somatic EMDR Therapy (60 hours)
Training in polyvagal theory, advanced vagal toning, and attachment-informed work
Certified Life Skills Coach (54 hours)
Certified Trauma-Informed Coach (20 hours)
Advanced training in spiritually-informed and depth-oriented approaches (2,160 hours)
How This Shapes My Work
What ties my background together is a consistent interest in how people adapt to stress and experience over time. I’m especially mindful of how vulnerable it can feel to speak about experiences that haven’t always been named as trauma, but have still left a mark.
You don’t need a diagnosis or a particular story to work with me. What matters is what you’re noticing in yourself now, and what you’re hoping to understand or shift.
If you’re looking for counselling that honours both your lived experience and your body’s wisdom — without pathologizing or rushing the process — you’re welcome to reach out.