Shanna Kraai (pronounced Shan-nuh like Banana and “cry” like you are sad) is a licensed clinical social worker, with experience providing individual, family, and group therapy to children, adolescents, and young adults.  Ms. Kraai brings over 17 years of experience working in outpatient settings that highlight her passion for youth and family systems.  She is an adjunct professor at Boston University and received her Masters of Social Work from the Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Denver with a clinical specialization in families, trauma, and high-risk youth. Mrs. Kraai moved to MA in 2022 and established Rise & Shine Family Therapy as thriving practice for youth and their caregivers.  Prior to this move, Shanna worked in outpatient clinics in Nashville, TN for 6 years providing individual and family services, as well as developing and running therapeutic support groups for children and adolescents. Mrs. Kraai has over 10 years of experience working in public, private, and international school settings (preschool to high school, alternative school settings also) and has provided school consultation services and professional development talks around mental health interventions in schools on the topics of bullying, trauma-sensitive schools, social emotional learning (SEL), anxiety disorders and depression, special education/student support programming, social emotional learning (SEL) curriculum design, and school safety prevention.  Mrs. Kraai is keen at assessing needs, collaborating with providers (school and medical), and supporting families in understanding and guiding their children. 

Shanna specializes in working with youth and their families on a variety of challenges including anxiety disorders (generalized, social, OCD, and specifically selective mutism), depression, ADHD and executive functioning deficits, Autism Spectrum Disorders, transitions (divorce, moves, parental disruption), grief/loss, and learning difficulties with a skill-based approach. Ms. Kraai utilizes ERP (exposure response prevention), CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy), and mindfulness based approaches with training from the BECK Institute of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, as well as the international MIND Institute on Mindfulness-based treatment.  Shanna is skilled in providing family therapeutic support and utilizes research-based methods from SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions).  Mrs Kraai is trained in RO-DBT(Radically Open Dialectical Behavioral Therapy), which is an evidence-based treatment modality for overcontrolled personalities with difficulty in social signaling.  She is a specialized skills instructor for RO-DBT skills. Shanna takes a collaborative approach and values communication with outside service providers for wrap-around support with children.  She is passionate about emotional well-being and aspires to create a climate of empathy, creativity, and understanding among individuals, youth, and their families.

When not working, Shanna enjoys spending time with her 2 children hiking, biking, traveling, and skiing.  She is an avid runner, yogi, and lover of coffee, music, and elephants.