Shane’a Thomas is a licensed clinical social worker in the Washington metropolitan area, where her goal is to show all people that they have the right to love and be loved without pain or persecution. She is proud alumna of Virginia Tech and Howard University,... holding a Bachelors of Science in Psychology and a Masters of Social Work degree with a concentration of Direct Services (Families and Children),respectively. Outside of a university setting, Ms. Thomas has been clinically trained by the International Psychotherapy Institute in Bethesda, MD, delving into courses such as their Psychotherapy Training Program, Object Relations Focus Clinical Seminar, and Sex and Sexuality in Contemporary Psychotherapy.
The basis for Ms. Thomas’ work within the sexuality field sprouted from her January 2007 experience of co-facilitating process groups for Dr. S. Michael Plaut’s weekend Sex and Sexuality training at the University of Maryland’s School of Medicine. This past experience has fueled Ms. Thomas’ desire to train and educate service providers around boundaries and self-care. Ms. Thomas has spoken about
boundary setting, consent, and relationships at various institutions and organizations such as Virginia State University, American University, and University of Denver’s Graduate School of Social Work, MetroTeen AIDS and Child and Family Services in Washington, DC. Being the former Program Coordinator for an LGBTQI teen group in Rockville, MD also gave her a platform to speak out in settings not only for queer teens, but also give visibility to queer teens and people of color. With a base in Chakra energy work from Maryland University of Integrative Health (formerly Tai Sophia Institute), Ms. Thomas incorporates the importance of healing the self through care,
compassion, and self-awareness.
Ms. Thomas currently does intensive office- and home-based therapy work specializing in the area of life transitions, bereavement,depression, women’s issues, and various gender/sexual/alternative lifestyle identities, particularly in communities of color. Above all, she is proudly living her dream as college professor, teaching for the University of Southern California’s School of Social Work’s Virtual Academic Center (VAC), shaping people not only as competent social workers but as self-aware humans who are committed to the community.
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