Hello! I'm Dr. Shalandra Hollins. I’m a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Board Certified TeleMental Health Provider, counselor educator, writer, and founder of Serene Life Counseling & Wellness.

I created this practice with one hope in mind: that people would have a place where they could finally exhale. Too many of us have spent years surviving, carrying responsibilities, navigating loss, managing relationships, meeting expectations, and showing up for everyone else while neglecting ourselves. I believe healing begins when we no longer have to perform strength and instead find spaces where we feel safe enough to simply be.

While I work with clients from many backgrounds, I am especially passionate about supporting Black women and BIPOC individuals who are navigating chronic stress, burnout, perfectionism, attachment wounds, trauma, difficult life transitions, and the emotional weight that often accompanies living in survival mode. My goal is to help clients move beyond simply coping and toward lives that feel more grounded, connected, intentional, and fulfilling.

I also enjoy working with young adults, couples, and families as they navigate dating, relationships, marriage, separation, divorce, co-parenting, blended families, and the many transitions that shape our lives.

My therapeutic approach is relational, attachment-based, and culturally responsive. I integrate evidence-based practices including Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). I honor each client's unique story, cultural identity, and lived experiences. I believe therapy should be collaborative, compassionate, and tailored to the person sitting in front of me, not a one-size-fits-all approach to healing.

Beyond the therapy room, I am deeply committed to advancing conversations around minority mental health, counselor well-being, racial trauma, burnout, and sustainable healing through research, teaching, speaking, writing, and community engagement. My work is rooted in the belief that healing is both deeply personal and profoundly relational.

Outside of my professional work, I enjoy reading, writing, exploring new cities, discovering local coffee shops, creating beautiful and restorative spaces, or planning meaningful experiences that invite people to slow down and reconnect with themselves. I believe healing doesn't only happen in therapy, it also unfolds through moments of beauty, rest, curiosity, connection, and intentional living.

Whether we are working together in therapy, learning in a classroom, or connecting through my writing, my hope is that you will leave feeling a little lighter, a little more understood, and reminded that you don't have to carry everything alone.