Shanara Ellis(She/Her/Hers)

Dr. Shanara Ellis, Psy.D., works with adults navigating perinatal and postpartum adjustment, reproductive trauma, anxiety, depression, racial stress, and identity transitions. She is especially committed to supporting Black women, birthing people, and individuals whose mental health is shaped by medical complexity, systemic inequities, and the intersections of culture, community, and care. Her clinical work centers people who have historically been overlooked or underserved in traditional healthcare settings, and she strives to create a therapeutic space where clients feel seen, supported, and empowered to heal.

Her therapeutic approach is relational, integrative, and equity‑oriented. Dr. Ellis draws from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mindfulness‑based practices, trauma‑informed care, and Liberation Psychology. She collaborates with clients to build emotional balance, resilience, and self‑compassion, grounding each session in cultural humility and the belief that every person’s story holds inherent wisdom and strength.

Dr. Ellis brings extensive experience from academic medical centers, hospital‑based programs, and community settings. She completed advanced postdoctoral training in Clinical Health Psychology at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, where she worked across Maternal‑Fetal Medicine, NICU, antepartum, and postpartum units. Her clinical and scholarly interests focus on the intersection of mental health, health equity, and social determinants of health. She has led initiatives to improve screening, referral pathways, and culturally responsive interventions for marginalized and under‑resourced patients navigating pregnancy, medical trauma, and family transitions. Dr. Ellis also serves as an Assistant Professor and Clinic Director for Alliant Sacramento Psychological Services (ASPS), where she is dedicated to training emerging psychologists to work skillfully and ethically within complex, real‑world systems.

She provides online individual therapy for adults 18+. Dr. Ellis earned her Psy.D., two master’s degrees, and her B.S. in Psychology from Adler University and Georgia Southern University.