David Shannon
MSW, LICSW
Clinical Social Worker/Therapist
St. Paul, USA
Answers questions in Alcoholism · Anxiety · Co-Occurring Disorders
About David Shannon
Pronouns: he/him/his. Pioneer in LGBTQ+ Community Mental Health, in Boston 1971. Five decades of social work and psychotherapy experience, with a wide range of clients, diagnoses, and presenting problems. I have worked a lot with people who have serious and persistent mental illness. Case management and counseling for people living with HIV/AIDS. Psycho-educational treatment groups for sex offenders. Knowledgeable about alternative sexualities, such as leather, kink, and polyamory. Supportive of bisexuals claiming their collective power and being more visible. Sensitive to non-binary gender identities. I know enough to help transsexuals in early exploration and decision making, and to be supportive again toward the end of transitioning, dealing with possible adjustment issues.
What I do
I am in private practice for in person therapy and online counseling. I work with individuals, couples, groups, and sometimes adolescents.
I believe that you are the expert on yourself and your situation. My job is to mirror and lift up your strengths, help you understand why things are the way they are, and guide you to find answers and solutions within yourself.
Particular emphasis on learning to red-flag your negative and self-defeating thoughts, and replacing them with self-talk that is more positive, accurate, or at least more balanced.
Down to earth, practical help in the real world, with a touch of humor. I am fairly open about myself, and do not presume to be the "healthy" one. We all face the challenges of living, and have our own kinds of craziness.
My story
Pronouns: he/him/his. Pioneer in LGBTQ+ Community Mental Health, in Boston 1971. Five decades of social work and psychotherapy experience, with a wide range of clients, diagnoses, and presenting problems. I have worked a lot with people who have serious and persistent mental illness. Case management and counseling for people living with HIV/AIDS. Psycho-educational treatment groups for sex offenders. Knowledgeable about alternative sexualities, such as leather, kink, and polyamory. Supportive of bisexuals claiming their collective power and being more visible. Sensitive to non-binary gender identities. I know enough to help transsexuals in early exploration and decision making, and to be supportive again toward the end of transitioning, dealing with possible adjustment issues.
Why life is worth living
There are always new things to learn ... new opportunities and challenges ... beautiful people to meet ... new and/or improved relationships ... deep feelings that confirm we are oh so real ... and learning to laugh at ourselves, with affection!
Treatment Offered
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Answered Questions(9)
Do all men get off on porn that humiliates and degrades women?
My husband watches porn that I find very degrading and disgusting. He says that all men watch this kind of stuff and he is just the only one that is not ashamed to admit it to me. I can see that this is possible. It always seems to involve humiliating the woman. Is it truly normal for all men to enjoy this? I am wondering if there is a cruel side that I do not like in my husband?
Read answer →Overworked, Under Appreciated, and Depressed
I don't know what to do. Work is becoming very unbearable. I am becoming angry, depressed and feel cornered. I am a recovery alcoholic. I have a sponsor, attend meetings, work steps, and practice principles in my life. I have a wife and kids I am responsible for. Right now I am hurting so much I feel like cutting, not suicide, just to hurt in a different way. I have been direct with my coworkers and I am not getting any support and I am being left being the only one working long hours sometimes all night. I know changing jobs is an idea, but right now I have a major project due Monday morning and I am responsible to that client to get it done. I feel really taken advantage of. Everyone else is at home with their families and I am left working, not spending time with mine. My boss seems to praise those around me who do just enough to show face and get paid and I don't get that pat on the back. Honestly I really don't want it. It would be nicer if e everyone else was doing their part and we worked as a team. Right now I am the team. Today I have really wrestled with anger, hurt, depression and I have had many moments where I am almost at a breaking point of just walking away from my job. I don't know what to do. I do suffer from major depression and I am bipolar. Unfortunately I don't really get any mania, just depression. I do see professional help for it, but I keep having these moments, where this is too much for me and I it is all too unbearable. I am almost broken to a point where I am scared and confused.
Read answer →Being anxious about people laughing at me when I exercise.
I am quite overweight. I am shy about my body in normal times but when I am doing any kind of exercise I am sure that everyone is laughing at how ridiculous I look. It is to the point where even thinking about exercise in public at all makes my heart race. Basically I just don’t do it because it is too unpleasant to think about. How do I overcome this anxiety. I think it is like a phobia that is how strong my fear is. But I do not know if this is considered a real phobia or not.
Read answer →Teenage marijuana use and Schizophrenia
My brother has schizophrenia. He is 22 and I am 16. My parents know I smoke weed. They say if I smoke weed I am more likely going to get the same disease as my brother. I am not sure if they are full of it or not. They are always trying to scare me away from weed and drinking and stuff. But the idea of getting schizophrenia actually does scare the crap out of me. If I smoke weed am I in more danger? I have already smoked like 500 times. Is there any point in stopping now after I have already smoked so much?
Read answer →So anxious driving, I have to pull over and call for help!
There is no obvious cause that I can think of but I am now very anxious whenever I have to drive anywhere. I never used to have a problem but now I am so nervous that I avoid driving whenever I can and sometimes I have to pull over and call my husband to come and get me because I can't do it anymore. Why am I like this and what can I do to stop feeling this way?
Read answer →I saw my neighbor share a joint with his 14 year old son.
I saw my neighbor sharing a joint with his 14 year old son. I know it was marijuana because I can smell it everyday as it floats into my kitchen window. I am not sure if it is any of my business but it just looked so wrong. He is on disability and sits at home all day. I do not know if he has a prescription for medical marijuana or not. Should I call the police or should I mind my own business? I am worried about the boy who seems very polite but I am also worried it is going to become difficult for me as a neighbor if I do call.
Read answer →Physical symptoms, panic attacks, and how to manage them
For about a week I have felt like I have a lump in my throat all the time and sometimes I am so stressed at work, I am a chef, I can feel my heart start pounding in my neck and I always wonder if I am going to have a heart attack. My friend is a nurse and she took a look at my throat with the light thingy and said there was nothing physically wrong that she could see and she said that stress caused lots of weird symptoms like this. How can I tell for sure if it is stress that is causing my problems? I am sure you can understand that it is hard to taste food properly when I feel like I cannot swallow right.
Read answer →Stress, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and Sleep
I have a hard time getting to sleep because I have to check everything in the house a number of times before I can force myself to stay in bed. And often once I am in bed I will have to get out to go and check on the kids again and to make sure I didn't forget to lock all the doors and windows etc. Does this mean I have OCD? I also have this annoying habit of counting things, like seconds or steps and once I get started it is hard for me to stop. I have always done the counting thing but I am going through a stressful period as I ave lost my job and now my craziness is much worse than it ever has been before.
Read answer →Dealing with the stress of caring for a parent in your home.
My wife is caring for her dad who has dementia and a lot of pain and mobility problems from 2 broken hips. My wife does not work. She has always promised her dad that he could stay with us and she would never put him in a nursing home. Since it was what she wanted and her dad was happy and I liked him a lot and we could afford it I thought it was a good idea and the right thing to do. Her dad is 84 and he has deteriorated quite a lot in the last 2 years and caring for him is now a very physical and demanding job. He was always a stubborn individual but he was also very funny and kind but now his personality has changed and he is angry much of the time and he can't see anymore what a burden he has become. My wife is clearly overwhelmed. She is frazzled and depressed and has gained weight and she is irritable all the time. I try to get her out of the house as often as I can but she feels guilty when she leaves for extended periods. It is time for him to go to a nursing home. To me this is very clear. She is ruining her own health as well as the happiness of our marriage caring for a man who is not appreciative of what she is sacrificing. The problem is she feels trapped by the promise she made that she would never put him in a home and I can't make her see that it is OK and that sometimes you have to go back on your promises when the cost gets too high. I am worried that if this goes on for years we are going to end up divorced. How can make her see that this situation is not good for anyone any more? I don't want it to come down to ultimatums but she won't listen to what I think is reasonable. I think the strain and stress of caregiving has affected her judgement and she can't even think clearly any more. What can I do?
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