Meet Michael Shahan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Shahan.

Hi Michael, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve always known I was really good at understanding people. As a kid, it was easy for me to be able to empathize with people on all sides of an argument, and I really hated conflict. I was always trying to help people get along.

Deciding that I wanted to go into mental health was pretty easy for me. Over the course of my undergrad degree, I honed in on Marriage and Family Therapy. When I was accepted to the Friends University program, I was elated. But, I had no idea how hard this road was about to be.

My experience at Friends was amazing. The professors and my peers taught me so much and gave me so much support when I was there. For my entire graduate school experience, I just soaked up everything. I was learning so much about theories and modalities that would eventually help me with clients. And, I was learning A TON about myself. It’s impossible to go through the education that it takes to become a therapist without doing a lot of inner work on yourself. You learn about healthy and unhealthy behaviors you have, and you have to come to terms with your own junk before you’re able to turn around and pour into other people.

After I graduated and started seeing clients on my own for the first time, I was faced with the reality that I was prepared to be a therapist, but I had no idea how to run my own business. My wife connected me with a friend who helped me get a marketing plan in place and that’s when I started my Instagram account.

This was the point that I started to realize I could have a bigger impact on the world outside my individual clients. I started thinking about what kind of content I wanted to create to share with people who might follow me online but never meet me in person. It wasn’t long before I was introduced to the Enneagram, and the rest is really history.

The Enneagram became a tool that I learned inside and out. It’s a type of personality “test” that tells us why we behave the way we do. Once again, I dove in headfirst and learned everything I possibly could. Now, I have a few aspects of my business that I love to work on. I still absolutely love my one-on-one client work. I don’t see myself ever giving that up. But I also love teaching other therapists and mental health professionals how to use the Enneagram to help their clients. I wrote a course on how to do this and teach it online several times a year. I also absolutely love putting out free information about the therapy and the Enneagram to help people who find me online discover more about themselves. This year, I even started a podcast to help demystify the therapy experience. Truly, I had no idea all of this would unfold when I first became a therapist. But a few years later, I’m so glad this is the path I’ve taken.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Of course, there have been plenty of challenges! My first challenge was having confidence in myself. For those people who know the Enneagram, I’m an Enneagram type 9. That means I’m a person who naturally wants to fade into the background and not be noticed. At my core, it’s hard to believe that my voice is worth anything or that anyone would want to hear what I have to say.

After a lot of self-work and surrounding myself with other really encouraging people who believe in me, I’m very happy to say I’ve grown A LOT. Sometimes I feel myself shrinking back, but then I remember how big of a community I’ve been able to help pull together around therapy and the Enneagram, and I’m really encouraged.

Another struggle is just keeping up with all the moving parts. People don’t realize how much effort goes into just running an Instagram. Much less writing a course, creating a podcast, and keeping up with administrative tasks for my business. It’s exhausting!

And, there seems like there’s never an actual endpoint. I just keep thinking up new ideas, dreaming up new goals, and I keep moving the target down the road. In some ways, that’s really overwhelming. But in other ways, it’s really exciting.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I am part of Moss and Main Therapy Group in Westport, where I see all my individual clients. Moss and Main is owned by one of my good friends and amazing therapist, Caylen Sunderman. We have more than 12 therapists who practice here now, but I was lucky enough to be part of the group when Caylen first launched Moss and Main just a couple of years ago.

Primarily, I work with clients who have undergone some sort of trauma. People generally look for therapists when their own coping mechanisms and strategies stop working, and they need help finding new ones. That could be after a major life change or after a major emotional shift. I’m certified in EMDR and a handful of other trauma therapies that help people get “unstuck” from whatever trauma they’ve experienced and take control of their own narrative again.

The thing that sets me apart from most therapists is my use and knowledge of the Enneagram. The Enneagram is NOT a new concept, but it has been gaining a lot more credibility and popularity in the last few years. There aren’t a lot of therapists using the Enneagram to inform their practice yet, but I’m trying to change that!

Another thing that sets me apart is my floofy Samoyed puppy, Lyla! She’s only a couple of years old and comes with me to the office as a therapy dog. There’s something really comforting about having a giant furball sit calmly with you while you’re processing your emotions in my office.

The other thing that is super important for me to get the word out about is my podcast! It’s called “Same Time Next Week?” and it’s available on most major podcast platforms. This was a total passion project for me. The goal was to interview people who have been in therapy to help demystify the therapy experience for people who have never gone. It’s part of my mission to make everyone comfortable with the idea of getting help with their mental and emotional health! We all need it!

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
My wife, Angie! I’ve always said that my wife’s name needs to be on my graduate degree because of the ways she supported and helped me during grad school. And honestly, nothing has changed. She is the one who initially encouraged me to branch out of my business and begin to do more than just see clients. I cannot even express the gratitude I have toward her and her constant believe that I can do hard things. I think she believes in me more than I believe in me most of the time.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.michaelshahan.com
• Instagram: @michaelshahan_therapy
• Facebook: @michaelshahantherapy