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Shanna Donhauser

My Sabbatical Letter


I don't often write about my personal life on this platform. This site represents my clinical practice, a space to know more about my clinical work with families, children, and couples. I post useful information here for families to get to know me as they begin the process of partnering with a provider.

This post is a little different. It's a letter to current and future patients.

 

For you,

I have made the bittersweet decision to take a sabbatical in my clinical practice. I love working with families and couples. I know I'm lucky to have a vocation that gives me so much purpose and energy. Deciding to step away from my practice was challenging. Happy Nest has been a thriving practice for many years. I have established long-term relationships with many patients. Leaving children in the middle of treatment is especially heartbreaking. Even with all of this, I feel so pulled toward the sabbatical.

In the fall, I will attend the Attachment Studies post-graduate program at Roehampton University in London, UK. The program focuses on Patricia Crittenden's attachment model, the DMM, and teaches assessment protocols for understanding the complex dynamics within attachment relationships.

While my professional education is rooted in attachment theory, I know how much more I have to learn. I don't just want to understand attachment theory. I want to internalize the underlying concepts of attachment deeply and know how and why humans connect in the ways they do.

When I complete this program, I know that I will be a different clinician. I will return to my clinical work with so much energy and enthusiasm, and efficaciousness. I hope to work with you then.

With gratitude and fondness,

p.s. You can follow me for updates on Instagram


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