Heal, Grow, and Thrive with Therapy That Goes Beyond the Couch

Equine Assisted and Nature-Based Therapy in Colorado

We work through the healing power of animals and nature to help you deepen self-awareness and develop effective tools for overcoming life’s challenges.

Located in Golden, CO, we provide holistic mental health support tailored to your personal growth and well-being.

Shannon Hansen Therapy and horse Gestalt Equine Psychotherapy Colorado

You're Meant to Thrive—Not Just Trot Along

Are You Tired of . . .

Anxiety and feeling constantly “on edge”
Overwhelm, stress, or burnout
Relational difficulties or problems with communication
Grief, loss, and emotional pain
Low confidence or self-esteem issues
Struggles with finding balance and peace in your life

Therapy Can Feel Outdated and Disconnected

It Doesn't Have to Be.

I offer Equine Assisted Therapy and Nature-Based Therapy, providing a unique, experiential approach that helps you engage with the healing process in a meaningful way.

Ways to Work With Me

Equine Assisted Therapy

Equine Assisted Therapy uses the powerful connection between humans and horses to promote emotional healing and personal growth.

Through guided interactions with horses, clients can explore emotions, build confidence, improve communication, and gain insight into their behaviors and relationships. This unique approach helps you heal in an engaging, hands-on environment.

Nature-Based Therapy

Nature-Based Therapy brings the healing power of the outdoors into your therapeutic experience.

This approach helps reduce stress, anxiety, and overwhelm by reconnecting you with the natural world. It fosters a sense of calm, clarity, and mindfulness, supporting your emotional well-being in a refreshing and holistic way.

 

Online Teletherapy

 

For those seeking a more traditional therapy experience, I offer online therapy sessions through a HIPPA compliant online video call. These sessions provide a safe, confidential space to explore your thoughts, feelings, and challenges.

 

Shannon Hansen equine therapy Denver Colorado

Meet Shannon Hansen, MS, LMFT

I work with individuals and couples who are open to trying unique approaches, offering a warm, compassionate environment. My goal is to create a safe space where clients can explore their emotions, build resilience, and make real, lasting changes in their lives.

I have been working with horses and playing in nature since a very young age.  I’ve felt the therapeutic benefits of horses personally and grew a passion to help others experience it, as well.

Testimonials

“I do not know how I got so lucky finding a therapist that met me where I was and fit my needs to work through my trauma, on the first attempt, but I did with Shannon. I had never been to a therapist before and was at a point of being so completely overwhelmed by anxiety that I could not see a way out. Shannon immediately made me feel comfortable and heard. She took the time to learn what approach would best fit my needs and took a solution-oriented approach that helped me not only move through my anxiety and depression but also forward with the tools I needed to acknowledge and care for myself. My mental health has improved more than I even hoped possible, because of her dedication and support.”

34 year old
Female

“I would first like to start with Thanking God for the biggest blessing it has been to have Shannon as my therapist for the past 5 years. I believe she’s been a saving Grace on so many levels to help me through my grieving process of various loved ones in these last 5 yrs, especially because they were all so close together and not to mention while I’m trying to grasp learning that I had SLE Lupus, amongst multiple autoimmune diseases that I’m still continuously being diagnosed with. I appreciate the tools, resources, guidance, and support. There are so many more things I could go on and on about. I love that I was able to connect and feel like for once I could open up about what I’d been bottling up inside for so long. She just made me so comfortable that I felt my intuition telling me that I could trust her too.”

55 year old
Female

“My son and I have both worked with Shannon for over 4 years now. Shannon’s unique approach using horses to teach self-regulation and empathy has made such a powerful impact on my son, who has struggled to make connections with therapists in the past. Shannon’s calm demeanor and ability to understand tough situations that adolescents experience have helped my son open up and be receptive to her therapeutic approach. Shannon is not only committed to helping my son, but she also takes time to understand our family dynamics and teaches me parenting techniques that strengthen my relationship with my son. Shannon goes above and beyond our scheduled sessions to advocate for additional resources to help not only my son but our whole family. We feel blessed to have the chance to work with Shannon and look forward to our continued growth. “

42 years old
Female

“Shannon gives me clarity when there is fog, grounding when there is turmoil, and perspective when I stray. My path with her is filled with learning and deep appreciation. She helps me experience my role and relationship with a vibrant, connected, vitally important natural world.”

55 year old
Male

“My husband and I first met with Shannon after about 6 years of marriage and shortly after having a child when things were looking glum for us and we had recently been living separated. We wanted to see if couples therapy could help us turn things around. Shannon was wonderful to work with, she never made either of us feel judged or criticized, and was very helpful in finding solutions and different perspectives to our problems or help us communicate our needs to one another better. We often needed mutually agreed upon strategies for better communication especially surrounding parenting and the things she suggested quite literally had a huge hand in saving our communication problems, and overall marriage. After working with her we have a better relationship than ever, and we both feel that these skills have translated to other relationships in our lives as well. We understand one another better and have more empathy, and the ability to balance both of our wants & needs in the relationship. I recommend Shannon to anyone I know who’s looking for a couples therapist, she was life changing for us!”

28 year old
Female

“My partner and I have a relationship as romantic partners, coworking entrepreneurs, and caregiver/cared for. We sought Shannon’s therapeutic help for very complex dynamics between all these roles in which she has provided nothing but the best care in flexibly accommodating our unique situation, making us both feel easily cared while also challenging us with a comfortably gradual intensity, having a quickly intuitive understanding of mostly every problem we brought to her attention or which she saw in us, and while being so excellent in her work she maintains a presence and energy that is safe, comfortable, accessible, light-hearted, and even fun! We have thought the world of her care and are excited for others who experience her effective practice!”

30 Years Old
Male

“I would absolutely recommend Shannon to my friends without a second thought. Shannon is very consistent in rooting out the sources or roots of problems, to the point that she at times feels like a mind-reader. Her ability to pull together many pieces of information over the course of several sessions into a cohesive, clear, and uniquely insightful probe, question, or statement. Really, it’s quite impressive. At various points, Shannon has said things that take me back and restructure how I’ve always thought about a topic or person. Her consistency of insight and intuition is something that none of my past therapists have been able to consistently achieve and I admire her greatly for it.”

29 years old
Female

Write a Testimonial From Your Work with Shannon

Strong Testimonials form submission spinner.

Required

Or alternatively, Anonymous
Or alternatively, Preferred Pronouns
Optional headline for your testimonial.