Shannon E. Smith, LPC-S

08/30/2026

And so it begins.

08/28/2026

I took this photo as I left at the end of my final day seeing clients in this office. The day started out grey and dreary, but ended on such a beautiful tone.

I'm proud of what I built here in Baton Rouge, and I'm excited to see what I decide to build in Chattanooga. I already know that it won't look or feel the same.

I opened my practice in the fall of 2020, and I outgrew my first little office in 2.5 years, moving into this suite, and taking on my first intern. That intern became my first employee, and a second intern followed. I went from a supervisor to 2 pre-licensed counselors to having a team of 9 supervisees across the state and 3 supervisees who are fully licensed. I led a state division of the counseling association from near extinction to a full and active board that speaks at every conference and hosted a day retreat CE event this year. I have done things that I never knew I could do.

I'm proud of what this space became for so many people. And, I'm grateful to each of those people and what they brought to me and to this space.

I'm still working, and I'm still in Baton Rouge, just going remote, as I will be eventually relocating to Chattanooga, TN.

And this sweet, little office space? She's going to be the home to several wonderful clinicians and friends. ❤️

05/29/2026

Venture capital platform Headway will begin requiring that patients and providers scan their faces to access the service. Thoughts?

Digital therapy platform Headway has mandated that patients and providers undergo biometric verification to continue using the platform, alarming both

05/28/2026

Working within the insurance model of mental heath care has become increasingly more oppressive, especially to small private practice clinicians.

If you’ve emailed me recently and I’ve been slower to respond than usual… this is why.

This stack? All BCBS records requests received since Thursday. Every single one is for a different client seen at Northern Lights Therapy. And this doesn’t even include the audit I’m actively fighting right now.

In all my years in this field, I have never seen this volume of records requests come through in such a short amount of time.

Providers are being buried in audits, investigations, documentation demands, and clawback threats while still trying to actually care for clients. Meanwhile, we’re left wondering whether insurance companies are truly reviewing medical necessity… or simply looking for reasons to take money back years later.

This is the reality many mental health providers are facing behind the scenes right now. It is exhausting, overwhelming, and honestly becoming unsustainable.

I never wanted to seriously consider stepping away from accepting insurance, because access to care matters deeply to me. But what is happening right now is making it incredibly difficult to continue operating this way long term.

The system is breaking providers while simultaneously making it harder for clients to access care. And that should concern everyone.

🖤💚

04/30/2026

April 29 was Denim Day 2026, and I was happy to be a supporter of STAR.

Based on the overturning of a r**e conviction by the Italian Supreme Court, Denim Day grew as a way to bring awareness to victim blaming and other myths that surround sexual assault. That Court ruled that the victim could not have been r**ed because she was wearing tight jeans.

STAR supports survivors of sexual violence in the greater New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Alexandria regions of Louisiana. They provide advocacy, counseling, legal support, community education and workplace training. All of their services to survivors are free.

Support your local sexual assault services agency!

04/19/2026

I'm proud to support Sexual Trauma Awareness & Response Center on this year's Denim Day.

03/24/2026

I'm excited to be invited back as a group leader at the Louisiana Group Psychotherapy Society's Spring Institute. I'm especially excited about the topic--embracing aggression & confronting internalized misogyny.

Enhancing Group Therapy Skills Through Expert-Led Training, Workshops, and Networking Opportunities

02/27/2026

You are worthy, and you are important.

01/28/2026

Brainspotting is a brain and body based therapy that is trauma-informed and relational. Shannon is a certified Brainspotting practitioner and has seen the ways that Brainspotting can affect change.

01/04/2026

Voting opens Monday, January 5 at noon and closes Friday, January 23 at 5pm.
Vote daily at votebatonrouge.com. Mental Health Services (under the Health & Beauty tab) and Woman-Owned Business (under the Services tab).