Ashanti "Shan" Anderson, LAPC
Poet & Trauma Therapist
Shan Anderson, LAPC (he/him) is a clinically-supervised Licensed Associate Professional Counselor and author of the award-winning short poetry collection, Black Under. In his writing and wellness work, Shan navigates topics related to trauma and culture.Shan currently works with a group private practice in Southeastern PA.
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Shan Anderson, LAPC
(he/him/his)
Those who know me, call me Shan (pronounced 'Shawn').
Professional licenses & publications are under my full name, Ashanti Anderson.
Licensed Associate Professional Counselor (Pennsylvania)
License #: APC002753
Supervisor: Alexandra R Darion, LPC
"Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation..."
— Audre Lorde
The ongoing demands of survival can wear down our capacity to recognize our needs. What often looks like a personal struggle makes more sense considering what we've lived through and what the world asks of us. My background and Master's degree in Trauma Counseling shapes how I understand those patterns. In therapy, we can explore the ways you've learned to protect yourself and the stories you carry about who you are.Being a therapist who is Black, trans, and Disabled informs my practice. Rather than treating self-care as an occasional luxury, I see it as part of how we heal and grow. Therapy is a space to experiment with new ways of relating to yourself. My approach integrates strengths-based tools with a trauma-focused, culturally-responsive lens. My aim is to ground us in present-moment awareness and radical acceptance.I would also like to use somatic experiences in sessions and connect us with nature based practices like walk and talk, forest bathing, or gardening. My other interests, primarily creative writing and social justice, might also come up if you are interested. This process leans on our strengths and asks us to work together. The people around you, your communities and cultures, your body, and the environments you inhabit all shape what care can look like.
Session Info
Pennsylvania
Individual Therapy (Adults)
@ Alexandra R Darion LLC
Virtual/Telehealth
50 minute sessions (approx.)
Insurance: Most accepted
Self-Pay: Sliding scale
Rates & Fees
Rates and insurance eligibility vary depending on the billing organization. Financial details will be discussed in our consultation.
Focus Areas
Trauma & (Complex) PTSD
Anxiety
Depression
Life transitions
Self-esteem
Social identity
Techniques
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Parts work
Motivational interviewing
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)
BLACK UNDER
Winner of the Spring 2020 Black River Chapbook Competition
Cover Art by Mariah Quintanilla
Black Under layers outward perception with internal truth to offer an almost-telescopic examination of the redundancies—and incongruences—of marginalization and hypervisibility... In these pages, declarations are reclamations, and joy is not an aspiration but a birthright.
Praise for Black Under:
"Black Under defies strict categorization, save for the fact that it is altogether excellent."
—Marcus Wicker, author of Silencer and Maybe the Saddest Thing"Witness Anderson's haunting and marvelous skill."
—Kay Ulanday Barrett, cultural strategist and author of More Than Organs a 2021 Stonewall Honor Award Book"I’ve read these poems again and again, and every time I leave like—it’s we time.
—Sara Borjas, author of Heart Like a Window, Mouth Like a Cliff
Author Bio:
Ashanti "Shan" Anderson is a Black Queer Disabled writer, 2023 National Endowment for the Arts fellow, and psychotherapist. Shan is the author of Black Under, which won the Spring 2020 Black River Chapbook Competition at Black Lawrence Press. A two-time Pushcart Prize nominee, Shan's poems have appeared in POETRY, World Literature Today, and elsewhere. Other published and produced works include research, essays, stage plays, screenplays, and tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs). Shan lives in Philly.
Selected Publications
Poetry
My Ancestors Who Learned to Read by Staring at the Bible, in Limp Wrist
sister, pick which battle to win when you choose to lose the war, in The Rumpus
Deep Nostalgia, in Container Magazine
Slave Ship Haibun; Acrostic for my Last Breaths, in Jet Fuel Review
Self-Portrait in Blackface; Self-Portrait as Overseer; Resignation, in Tupelo Quarterly
Self-Portrait as Kendrick Lamar, Laughing to the Bank, in Poetry
If, in World Literature Today
Ode to Black Skin, in Poetry (audio available)
Cleaning Up Men's Messes; Mamie Till on Carolyn Bryant's Confession, in Foothill Journal
Goddam, in Really System
Teach Me to Float, in Panoply
Essay
Deep Nostalgia, in Container Magazine
Academic Research
Eskine, K. E., Anderson, A.E., Sullivan, M., and Golob, E. J., (2018). Effects of music listening on creative cognition and semantic memory retrieval. Psychology of Music, 48(4), 513-528.Anderson, A. E. (2014). College Students’ Perceptions of Various Types of Domestic Violence. XULAneXUS: Xavier University of Louisiana’s Undergraduate Research Journal, 11(1), 43-52.
Stage & Screen
Study Room (2018)
Short Film | Credit: Writer
Winner of the 2018 Haley's Flight Page-to-Screen Short Film CompetitionA young woman races against the clock to finish her term paper on time while being harassed by annoying classmates.
Bleak Magic (2021)
One Act Play | Credit: Writer
When a conjure woman perfects a potion for "Black Power", she uncovers the nefarious desires of her clients.
Games
Visit itch.io (external site)
Contact
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Last updated: September 11, 2026This Privacy Policy explains how information is handled when you visit this website.Information Collected Through This WebsiteI do not intentionally collect personal information through this website. The website does not currently provide contact forms, user accounts, login functionality, newsletter subscriptions, or other features through which you submit personal information to me.Because this website is hosted through Carrd, certain technical information about visits to the site may be automatically processed in connection with the operation, security, and functionality of the website. This may include information such as your IP address, browser and device information, and information about how you interact with the site.Links to Other WebsitesThis website contains links to external websites and online services, including social media, publications, and other accounts or platforms. These websites are operated independently and have their own privacy policies and practices. I do not control or assume responsibility for information collected by third-party websites after you leave this site.Bookshop.org Affiliate LinksSome links on this website are affiliate links to Bookshop.org. If you purchase a book through one of these links, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. Bookshop.org uses cookies associated with affiliate links to attribute purchases to affiliates.Scope of This PolicyThis Privacy Policy applies only to this website. Information collected or maintained in connection with therapy or other professional services is governed by the privacy notices, informed-consent documents, and other policies provided in connection with those services.Changes to This PolicyI may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any updates will be posted on this page with a revised “Last updated” date.ContactIf you have questions about this Privacy Policy, you may contact:Shan Anderson
talktoshan [at] protonmail [dot] com