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Ashanti "Shan" Anderson, LAPC

(he/him/his)

Licensed Associate Professional Counselor (Pennsylvania)
License #: APC002753
Master's degree in Trauma Counseling
Supervisor: Alexandra R Darion, LPC

Session Info:

Individual Therapy @ ARD, LLC
Approx. 50-minute sessions
Telehealth for Pennsylvania residents
or In-person in Huntingdon Valley, PA
Insurance: Most accepted
Self-Pay: Sliding scale

CV available upon request.

Those who know me, call me Shan (pronounced 'Shawn'). Professional licenses & publications are under my full name, Ashanti Anderson.

I'm an Associate Professional Counselor licensed in Pennsylvania and author of the award-winning short poetry collection, Black Under. Culture and systemic harm are common themes in my writing and wellness work.I help young adults when trauma or transitions challenge their sense of self. Knowing (and believing!) your worth empowers you to live by your values—not only the pain, inner criticism, or others' expectations. Together, we’ll explore the many parts of your story to discover and honor the whole you.

I primarily help individuals who seek support with the following:

Identity & Self-relationship
Understanding oneself, experiencing self-compassion, and uniting disjointed characteristics into a unified sense of self.Systemic trauma
Harmful experiences caused by inequitable social systems.Family-based trauma
Psychological impacts of damaging relational patterns and experiences within one's family system.Unwanted coping
Responding to unmet needs with protective functions which are unsafe or cause distress.Life transitions
Navigating changes that challenge one’s sense of self, relationships, or place in the world.Body & Embodiment
Exploring one’s relationship with the body and adapting to changes in physical functioning.

I use techniques with a trauma-responsive, culturally-affirming lens:

Experiential therapies
Using present-moment awareness and active exploration to deepen self-understanding.
Activities include mindfulness, somatic (body-based) work, play therapies, and roleplay/psychodrama.Parts Work (elements of Internal Family Systems/IFS, shadow work, and inner child work)
Examining different aspects of oneself to better understand protective functions and promote self-direction.Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Building the capacity to take action aligned with personal values.Nature-based/Ecotherapy
Engaging with the natural world to support reflection, connection, and well-being. Nature-based therapy is highly flexible and may include walk and talk therapy, gardening/horticulture, aromatherapy, forest bathing, and much more, depending on interests and accessibility.Expressive Arts & Bibliotherapy (Poetry)
Reading and creative expression to connect with emotions and make meaning.Motivational Interviewing
Strengthening motivation for change by considering ambivalence and barriers.Solution-focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)
Identifying strengths, resources, and practical steps toward desired change.

WRITING

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

Selected
Publications & Productions

Poetry

My Ancestors Who Learned to Read by Staring at the Bible, in Limp Wristsister, pick which battle to win when you choose to lose the war, in The RumpusDeep Nostalgia, in Container MagazineSlave Ship Haibun; Acrostic for my Last Breaths, in Jet Fuel ReviewSelf-Portrait in Blackface; Self-Portrait as Overseer; Resignation, in Tupelo QuarterlySelf-Portrait as Kendrick Lamar, Laughing to the Bank, in PoetryIf, in World Literature TodayOde to Black Skin, in Poetry (audio available)Cleaning Up Men's Messes; Mamie Till on Carolyn Bryant's Confession, in Foothill JournalGoddam, in Really SystemTeach Me to Float, in Panoply

Essay

Deep Nostalgia, in Container Magazine

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)

AUTHOR BIO:Ashanti "Shan" Anderson (he/him) 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. His other published and produced works include academic research, essays, stage plays, screenplays, and tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs). Shan currently lives in Philadelphia.

Contact

Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 12, 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. By accessing this site, you are agreeing to Carrd's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.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. For information regarding how your data is handled by these third-parties, please review the Privacy Policy of each respective website you visit.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 laws and regulations, 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