Shannon Troy
Becoming a Relationship Therapist
I became a relationship therapist to translate my passion for learning about people and cultures into something that benefits others in a personal, enduring way. With loneliness at an all-time high (it’s a myth that you can’t be lonely if you’re partnered) and relationship distress shortening life spans, it’s important to me to be part of the constructive effort towards a healthier society. Couples therapy is an opportunity for both partners to work through long-standing issues to rebuild a sacred space–or find peace elsewhere, causing the least damage in the process.
Counseling Philosophy
There is no right or wrong time to go to couples therapy. From day one, building a life with another person demands patience, perspective, and persistence. Relationship distress has known health and well-being consequences, yet we often don’t tend to our partners with the same dedication and care as we do our pets, jobs, body, garden, or children. Now’s your chance.
Therapy is a way to learn about how external and internal worlds intertwine to produce thoughts and behaviors that are either already conducive to a healthy, productive life—or could be improved upon. You don’t have to be in crisis to come to therapy. Preventative care is just as important. My aim is to provide a space where you feel safe sharing your life’s challenges like surviving adverse childhood experiences, balancing work and family, and figuring out how to grow old together, then give you tools to better navigate the stressors.
My Counseling Style and Strengths
I’m direct, nurturing, and playful. My goal is to facilitate insight and help you action it so you can make life worth celebrating again. Integrating the evidence-based Gottman relationship toolkit with psychodynamic theory and neurobiology, my counseling style is holistic by design to best meet your needs.
Counseling strengths include genuine curiosity and passion for learning about other people and ways of life. A longtime student of culture and relationships, I’ve lived and worked in Dakar, Senegal; Sint Maarten; Macao, China; and Denver, Colorado. New York City was my home base for 15 years before nesting in sunny San Diego. I understand big decisions, life transitions, and adapting to new environments. I’m conscientious about how larger systems of race, gender, and social inequity can effect a family’s health and functioning. I want to hear about your dreams, identity, sexuality, work, friends, family, and hardships. Your whole person is important to me.
Professional Counseling Background
My professional experience includes extreme examples of what happens when relationships aren’t nurtured in productive ways. As a pre-trial and mitigation counselor for people in the federal incarceration process, I know that romantic relationships gone awry can have serious repercussions not only for individuals but for families and the community at large.
As a psychotherapist in private practice in New York City, I worked with individuals and couples to facilitate deeper understanding about their inner worlds, relationship patterns, and learned communication styles to increase functioning and happiness. Navigating desire discrepancy, child-rearing responsibilities, high-profile jobs, identity questions, trauma, premarital discord, infidelity, and mental illness is tough! You need a guide and I know how to clear the brush to forge a new path.
Professional Therapist Credentials and Training
I am a licensed therapist in California, New York, and New Jersey. I studied Anthropology at Barnard College of Columbia University and achieved my Master of Social Work at New York University. Additional training includes: Integrative Sex and Couples Certification with Dr. Tammy Nelson; Trauma Competency with Dr. J. Eric Gentry and Transitional Psychoanalysis at Pulsion: The International Institute of Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytic Psychosomatics.
Hear From Our Clients
Hear from those who've experienced positive changes through our services.
“Dr. Dana made me feel so seen. I never felt shame for the trauma I’d caused. It was so healthy and helpful to find ways to navigate our conversations.”
“Thank you so much! It exceeded my expectations. You made me feel comfortable and supported.”
“I learned I need to take a 20 minute break when flooded, ask for clarity in facial expressions, use gentle startup and take ownership even if its small.”
“Gave me many tools and insights, I’m excited to implement them.”
“I couldn’t have had a better experience. Dana is so caring and smart and easily helped us navigate through our issues.”
“I learned that I need to ask for my needs and also take a break when I feel flooded.”
“I had an excellent experience, it helped me get clarity and learn valuable tools.”
“Dana was really effective at explaining the research, helping facilitate the conversation with figuring out how to address our biggest challenges.”
“Really pleased with the experience. Absolutely exceeded my expectations.”
“This helped lower the walls in our relationship.”
“Dana is superb, gracious, and kind. We’re very grateful.”
“I gained the clarity I was looking for!”
“Grateful to our extended therapist and her extended time! And of course, her dog!”
“The intensive process and longer sessions are incredibly helpful to push things further and get real work done.”
“The three-day package was necessary to enable the “emotional stretch” and that’s when we saw the best results.”
“This was a much needed intense session but helped promote healing and focus to decide where we go in life together.”
“This was well worth it and I’d definitely do it again!”
“This helped us sit and have uncomfortable conversations that were long overdue.”
“Exhausting but I loved everything about this!”
“This helped us have epiphanies and transformative thoughts.”
“Thank you so much for taking the time to really understand our issues and providing us with all the tools to use when future issues arise.”
“I feel like we have made huge progress on major issues with these three days.”
“Everything made me feel safe and comfortable here.”
“Therapist is great at listening and helping us with communication.”
“Absolutely, it was better than I expected and gave us great tools.”
“Empathetic and responsive.”
“Very accommodative and understanding.”
“I definitely feel Therapy Getaway helped with our relationship goals because it allowed a deeper dive in a structured fashion, with tools to continue improving our relationship.”
“Great session. They know their stuff and is really good at helping us find the language to effectively communicate.”
“They were incredibly instrumental in relating all the tools that my partner and I needed in areas where we struggle.”
“Therapy Getaway absolutely helped our relationship. They were amazing.”
“This was a very beneficial process. Dana made it easy for us to open up about every difficult issue we had been struggling with. We now have good tools.”
“It seemed at first that 2.5 days was long, but it feels so good to be in therapy that I wish it was 3-5 days!”
“Therapy Getaway immensely helped us talk about our problems in a safe place.”
“Dana is very experienced and sensitive to peoples situations and knows how to make you feel comfortable as if you were in your own home.”
“Learned a lot of coping tools. Dana was wonderful.”
