Shannon Madden

Shannon Madden is an Arizona-based counselor with 26 years of clinical experience who works with people facing stress, anxiety, grief, depression, self-esteem and career difficulties, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, sleep problems, anger, bipolar disorder, compassion fatigue, and life transitions.

Her approach is rooted in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, with practical tools such as worksheets to help uncover the beliefs that shape emotions and behaviors. She also incorporates basic neurobiology to explain how the brain responds to intervention and to accelerate change. Early use of gentle humor helps her normalize reactions and ease the initial conversational barrier.

Madden earned a Master of Counseling from the University of Phoenix in 2002 and a Master of Arts in Organizational Management from the same university in 2001. She completed undergraduate studies at Northern Arizona University and pursued doctoral work in neuropsychology at Argosy University from 2010 to 2013 before changing plans. To maintain her Arizona counseling license she completes 30 hours of continuing education every two years, and her training includes Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), posttraumatic stress disorder care, neuropsychology, and work with depression and anxiety.

Her career began as a crisis counselor for the Phoenix Fire Department while she completed graduate school. She later served for several years as a crisis counselor in emergency rooms across the Valley, then focused on PTSD treatment for police officers, firefighters, and military members. In 2013 she became the Director of Psychological Health for the Arizona Army National Guard, supporting soldiers in pre- and post-deployment phases, suicide prevention, PTSD care, and military sexual trauma. After that contract ended she helped open Quail Run Behavioral Health Hospital as Director of Intake and Assessment. She currently works for Arizona’s state crisis system in a telecommuting role and has returned to individual counseling through her work with the Better Help team.

A third-generation Arizonan, Madden grew up in Flagstaff and moved to Phoenix after graduating from NAU. Personal experiences influenced her decision to become a counselor, including supporting an aunt through an emergency room crisis after a sudden family death and recovering from PTSD with help from a counselor following a brief period in the military. She has been divorced twice, recently relocated to Phoenix to be nearer family and friends, and shares her home with two spoiled dachshunds. She enjoys travel and is learning to crochet, and she welcomes the opportunity to work with new clients.