You are the one people fall apart in front of. You hold the stories, the crises, the unspoken worries, and the weight of trauma for so many people. And somewhere in all of it, the person who takes care of everyone stopped setting aside time to be cared for.
You know what good therapy looks like. You are an expert at helping your loved ones and clients find a therapist, but you struggle to find a good fit for yourself. You are looking for someone who understands the weight of this work and won't treat your clinical training as a shortcut or a reason to skip the deep work. And you are in the right place!
Who I Work With
I work with therapists at every stage of the professional journey. You do not have to have it all figured out to sit in the chair with me.
- Graduate students and interns who are new to the field and finding their footing.
- Limited permit and pre-licensed clinicians managing the stress of working toward full licensure.
- Newly licensed therapists carrying a full caseload or striking out in private practice for the first time.
- Seasoned practitioners who have been holding space for decades and are ready to be held themselves.
Wherever you trained, you are welcome here. I work with mental health counselors, licensed professional counselors, clinical social workers, psychologists, and clinicians across the helping professions. Your specific license type or theoretical orientation is key clinical context, never a barrier to receiving quality care.
Please Note: All therapy for therapists at Cheerful Heart is provided directly and exclusively by practice founder Shakira K. O'Garro, LMHC-D, LPCC, LPC, NCC. You will work directly with a seasoned, fully licensed clinician, never a student intern or pre-licensed associate.
What Makes This Different
I genuinely love working with clinicians, and I will never lean on your clinical training as a shortcut. You will not hear, "Well, what would you tell your client to do here?"
We do real, exploratory work so you can gain genuine insight and cultivate lasting change. Any psychoeducation or resource I offer is chosen thoughtfully, specifically for you, and with your collaboration, not skipped because of the letters after your name.
There is something sacred about watching a healer finally let themselves be supported. That is the work I love to do, and I am here to support you.
What Therapists Bring to Their Own Therapy
You are allowed to bring the same human experiences your clients bring, along with the nuances specific to this profession:
- Burnout, compassion fatigue, and vicarious trauma from the heavy stories you carry every week.
- Your own trauma history — the experiences that likely made you really good at this work.
- Chronic illness, chronic pain, or medical trauma alongside a demanding caseload and life.
- Faith questions, church hurt, or a crisis of faith you cannot bring to your own community.
- Imposter syndrome and self-doubt that no amount of supervision seems to heal.
- The loneliness of being the strong one, the competent one, or the one with all the answers.
I bring a specialized understanding to the intersection of chronic illness, medical trauma, and faith because I have lived it, not just studied it. If any of that is part of your story, you will be met with compassion, understanding, and a deep commitment to helping you prioritize your own care. I believe you deserve to receive the same compassion and care you so readily give to your own clients.
Where I Work
I offer telehealth therapy for therapists across all six states where I am licensed: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, South Carolina, and California.
If you are in Westchester County, NY, in-person sessions are available at my White Plains office located at 30 Glenn Street, Suite 205, White Plains, NY 10603.
Feeling Ambivalent and Need More Time?
Even if you are ambivalent about starting therapy, you don't have to leave empty-handed. Feel free to browse my Blog, Worksheets, and other Resources for Therapists.
You can also sign up for our newsletter to receive our free guide: You Can Set It Down: A Strong Woman's Guide to Rest, Boundaries, and Faith.
Let's stay connected!
Enter your info to receive practical worksheets, practice updates, trauma-informed tools, and clinical insights from Cheerful Heart. Sign up and we'll send you our free rest guide, You Can Set It Down.
Ready When You Are
When you are ready, you can book a free 15-minute phone/video consultation or a paid 30-minute video consultation directly on my Request an Appointment page. Come as you are and we can explore if we are a good fit for your therapy goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you work with other therapists?
Yes. All therapy for therapists at Cheerful Heart is provided directly and exclusively by practice founder Shakira K. O'Garro, LMHC-D, LPCC, LPC, NCC. Shakira provides a confidential space to focus on your life, not your caseload. Clinicians are some of her favorite people to walk alongside.
What career stages and license types do you work with?
All of them. Shakira sees graduate students, interns, limited permit holders, pre-licensed clinicians, newly licensed therapists, licensed marriage and family therapists, and veteran practitioners with decades of experience. She works across disciplines including LMHCs, LPCs, LMFTs, LCSWs, and licensed psychologists. Your license tier and clinical orientation are always respected.
Where does Shakira work with other therapists?
Shakira provides therapy for therapists via secure telehealth across NY, NJ, PA, CT, SC, and CA. In-person sessions take place at her White Plains, NY office (30 Glenn St, Suite 205).
Is therapy for therapists confidential? What about out-of-network billing?
Yes, your therapy is protected by strict HIPAA confidentiality guidelines. Because Cheerful Heart is a private-pay practice, your clinical records stay entirely between us. We do not submit diagnostic codes to insurance companies unless you explicitly request a superbill for out-of-network reimbursement, thereby protecting your professional privacy.
What if we run into each other at professional events or in local clinical circles?
This is a common and valid concern for mental health professionals. Confidentiality strictly applies in public and professional spaces. If we cross paths at a conference, local workshop, or community event, I will always follow your lead and never acknowledge our therapeutic relationship in front of colleagues. We can also explicitly discuss and establish dual-relationship boundaries in session so you feel completely safe.
What do therapists usually come to therapy for?
Common reasons include clinician burnout, compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, personal trauma histories, chronic illness or medical trauma, faith questions, imposter syndrome, and the isolation of being the caregiver. You are allowed to bring everything your clients bring and more.
How is personal therapy different from clinical supervision or consultation?
Therapy is for you and your personal healing. Supervision and consultation focus on your clinical cases and professional development. This page is dedicated to personal therapy. (Note: Shakira does offer clinical supervision separately for pre-licensed clinicians and consultation to all mental health professionals in New York; visit our Supervision page and book a consultation on the appointment request page to inquire.)
Will you treat me like a colleague or like a client?
Like a client who happens to understand the field. I will not skip therapeutic steps or assume you don't need care just because you are trained to provide it. The work goes as deep as you want it to go.
Do I have to be a Christian or a woman of color to work with you?
No. While Cheerful Heart specializes in supporting BIPOC Christian women, clinicians of all faiths, spiritual backgrounds, identities, and genders are warmly welcomed. We are an inclusive practice!
How do I get started?
Visit our Request an Appointment page to self-schedule a free 15-minute video or phone consultation or a paid video consultation. It is a casual, low-pressure conversation to see if we are the right fit.
