Shalandra Hollins
PhD, LMFT, BC-TMH
Dr. Hollins is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Board Certified TeleMental Health Provider, and founder of Serene Life Counseling & Wellness. She provides therapy for individuals, couples, and families. Dr. Hollins uses Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT), Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR), and attachment-based theory to help clients heal childhood wounds, relationship injuries, and begin to heal from emotionally painful experiences.
Therapy Approach
My approach to therapy is collaborative, inquisitive, and warm. You are the expert of your life. I join alongside you to help navigate the difficult pieces, as I believe therapy is a space where you no longer have to carry it alone. My hope is to help you make meaning of your individual story, or the shared story between a couple or family, and empower you to move toward a life that feels more grounded, connected, intentional, and fulfilling.
Just because you carry it well doesn’t mean it’s not heavy.
Specialty Areas of Focus
Attachment wounds
Anxiety and chronic stress
Depression
Burnout and nervous system regulation
Trauma and PTSD
Racial trauma and racial fatigue
Women's mental health
Relationship challenges
Couples therapy
Family conflict and intergenerational trauma
Perfectionism
Self-esteem, self-worth, and identity
Boundaries and people-pleasing
Life transitions
The Strong One
Black women navigating burnout, perfectionism, anxiety and chronic stress, boundaries and people-pleasing, nervous system regulation, and BIPOC individuals seeking culturally affirming therapy.
Inherited Patterns
Intergenerational trauma, racial trauma and racial fatigue, trauma and PTSD, childhood trauma, and attachment wounds.
Family and Transitions
Family conflict, co-parenting, blended families, young adults finding their way, self-esteem, self-worth, identity, and life transitions.
Love and Partnership
Dating, couples therapy, communication, intimacy, marriage, separation, and divorce.
What can you expect in the first session?
Your first session is an opportunity for me to learn more about the experiences you have encountered or the challenges you are currently experiencing. This is your opportunity to share as much or as little as you would like. Therapy moves at your pace, you are empowered to take control of your story and your healing.
You may also have goals for therapy in mind that we can explore. If not, that is ok too. We can work to identify goals together. Once we have worked together for a period of time and you feel more comfortable, or what is sometimes referred to as building rapport, I will always continue to follow your lead while also gently encouraging you to embrace new possibilities. Change can sometimes feel scary. It makes sense because anything that is unknown often feels scary. I always like to remind my clients that these feelings are normal and to remember that this therapeutic process and healing journey is not one that you have to travel alone. I would be honored to walk alongside you.
Scholar and Educator
Beyond my practice, I teach and supervise the next generation of counselors as a counselor educator and AAMFT Supervisor Candidate.
My research and scholarship center Black women’s mental health, counselor well-being and emotional labor,
trauma-informed and somatic healing practices, and culturally responsive counseling. The work I do in the classroom and the work I do in session inform each other.
“Healing is deeply personal, cultural, and profoundly relational.” -Dr. Hollins
Education
Ph.D. Counselor Education & Supervision, Capella University (CACREP-Accredited)
M.S. Marriage & Family Therapy, Capella University
B.A. Sociology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Licensure and Certifications
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT #2179)
Board Certified TeleMental Health Provider (BC-TMH #3261)
AAMFT Supervisor Candidate
Certified Prepare/Enrich Facilitator
Certified Level II Reiki Practitioner
Professional Affiliations
American Counseling Association
Association for Counselor Education and Supervision
Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision
Chi Sigma Iota Counseling Honor Society
Clinical Fellow, American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
AAMFT Clinical Fellow status reflects the highest standards of education and training in systemic marriage and family therapy.
Off the Clock
When I am not working, you will find me reading, exploring a new city, some combination of the two with a chai latte or iced espresso at a local coffee shop, designing jewelry, or spending time with my family and fur babies. I believe healing also unfolds through connection, beauty, rest, and curiosity.