Shannon Kromat, MA

I'm Shannon (she/her), an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT) working with individuals, couples, and families in the Santa Cruz area. My work centers on helping people build a kinder, more accepting relationship with themselves while deepening their emotional connection and communication with the people who matter most to them.

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Many people I work with come in feeling anxious, stuck, or like they're carrying weight they can't quite name. Maybe you're achieving a lot on the outside but feel exhausted on the inside. Maybe you've been through something hard and haven't had a real space to process it. Maybe your relationships feel harder than they should, or you're grieving something: a person, a version of yourself, or a life you thought you'd have by now.

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I believe the relationship between therapist and client is the most powerful part of healing. My job isn't to fix you or hand you a list of tools. It's to show up fully present, meet you exactly where you are, and create a space where you can actually be honest. I also encourage curiosity about where your emotions come from, because understanding those roots is often where real growth begins. From there, we do the work together, translating insight into small, meaningful steps that build resilience and create lasting change.

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At the center of that work is always this question: what do you value, and is your life aligned with that? I help clients get clear on what matters most to them and start building a life that feels genuinely aligned, not just functional.

I also believe our relationships are one of the most significant sources of both meaning and pain in our lives. I weave in Nonviolent Communication (NVC) to help clients slow down and get underneath the conflict to what's really there: the unexpressed emotions, the unmet needs, and the wants and desires that haven't found words yet.

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My approach draws from Relational and Humanistic therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Existential therapy, and Nonviolent Communication (NVC), always within a trauma-informed and culturally responsive framework. For couples, I use Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and the Gottman Method to help partners restore trust, improve communication, and deepen intimacy.

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Outside the therapy room, I spend time with my partner enjoying the outdoors and am a devoted dog and book lover.