Maia Shields, LCSW

Pronouns: She/her/hers

Phonetic pronunciation of name: "MY-UH"

Role at Evergreen: Clinician

As a therapist, I am dedicated to cultivating a safe and empowering space where you can share and explore all aspects of yourself and your life story. I work therapeutically through an integrative lens that prioritizes the relationship between you and me. It is my goal for us to work together to uncover and process any painful or unhelpful patterns, thoughts, and experiences that have created roadblocks in your life. And while sometimes these roadblocks can feel insurmountable, we all hold within ourselves the capacity for healing and growth. It is my hope, that you come away from our time together with a greater sense of self-understanding, internal and somatic awareness, and personal agency. I know taking the first steps to start therapy and finding the right therapist can feel overwhelming. So, thank you for being here and I’d be honored to support you in your journey. I am an LGBTQIA+ and neurodiversity-affirming therapist.

Clinical Style

Warm, direct, empathetic, collaborative, client-centered, and evidence-based.

License

Licensed Clinical Social Worker #125499

Degrees

Bachelor of Arts in Psychology | Fort Lewis College | 2016

Master of Social Work | University of Denver | 2019

Advanced Trainings

Domestic Violence Counselor Training, YWCA Glendale and Pasadena, 2020

EMDR Basic Training, Advanced Education Institute, 2021

Trauma Professional Training Course, PESI, 2021

Treating Journalists in Distress: Cultural and Clinical Keys for Working with Trauma-Impacted Media Professionals, The Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, 2024

Why I do this work

It's a very human experience to seek understanding. Whether it is understanding our inner world and life experiences or seeking to feel understood by others. I know from personal experience how impactful it is to feel understood and accepted. Those moments in my healing journey were pivotal and in my professional endeavors in forensic, non-profit, and private practice settings, I've strived to provide that to others. Humans are wired to seek connection. From infancy onwards, our interactions with others and our relationships shape who we are. When these interactions are harmful, human connection can feel scary, dysregulating, and unsafe. Safe and secure human connections help mitigate the impact of trauma and are central to healing. I am passionate about the work I do and I believe that everyone deserves a safe space to heal, where they feel understood and accepted.

The best part of my job

The best part of my job is developing secure and meaningful relationships with my clients and witnessing the healing and growth that happens throughout our time together. I enjoy collaborating with clients to create goals and a therapy plan that is right for them. Often this is brainstorming strategies and activities that bring safety, meaning, and fulfillment. I encourage curiosity and it's wonderful to watch clients explore a variety of resources, strategies, and activities that promote healing and growth. I love watching as clients connect or reconnect to what brings them joy and seek out resources and activities that create a sense of empowerment and safety in their bodies.

How I spend my free time

I enjoy baking, cooking, reading, and exploring the outdoors with my son. I am also incredibly passionate about Muay Thai and consider training therapeutic and healing.

Favorite quote

“It’s like the great stories, Mr. Frodo, the ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn’t want to know the end because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad has happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing this shadow, even darkness must pass. A new day will come, and when the sun shines, it’ll shine out the clearer. I know now folks in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t. They kept going because they were holding on to something. That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it’s worth fighting for.” Samwise Gamgee, Lord of the Rings

Top personal growth resources

  • Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma by Peter A. Levine
  • The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk
  • It Didn’t Start with You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle by Mark Wolynn
  • Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents: How to Heal from Distant, Rejecting, or Self-Involved Parents by Lindsay C. Gibson
  • Why Does He Do That by Lundy Bancroft
  • The Healing Trauma Podcast

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