Shannon Lopez (nee Grassby)

Shannon is a Clinical Psychologist who has completed a Bachelor of Psychology (Hons) from Macquarie University and a Master of Clinical Psychology from Western Sydney University. Shannon is registered with the Psychology Board of Australia and is a member of the Australian Psychological Society and the Australian Clinical Psychology Association. She has worked across public and private sectors, providing individual and group therapy as well as assessments to a wide range of child, adolescent and adult clients.

Shannon is passionate about providing neuro-affirming, client-focused and tailored therapy and helping to support individuals across the lifespan.

She primarily works with neurodivergent children and adults, including; Autistic individuals, ADHDers, PDAers, children experiencing Tics or Tourettes, OCD, or other brain-style related differences. She also works with supporting individuals experiencing mental health difficulties including anxiety, depression and trauma and school can’t. Shannon seeks to help children, adolescents, families and adults to understand their unique strengths and differences, to understand the challenges they are facing and to work collaboratively together to build skills to achieve their goals.

Shannon works collaboratively with schools, offering case management and consultation with a multidisciplinary team to ensure that schools are best able to understand and support their neurodivergent students. She also delivers online and in person training to teachers and other health professionals regarding neuro-affirming practices and supporting neurodivergent individuals.

It is always a challenge to feel different, or like no one understands what you are going through. Shannon always endeavours to ensure that her clients feel safe and listened to, and advocate strongly on their behalf to ensure that their parents, schools and other care professionals also understand them and how best to support them.

Shannon is trained in evidence-based interventions including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Mindfulness based therapies such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Dialectal Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Tics (CBiT), Exposure Response Prevention (ERP) and therapy for Selective Mutism. Her practice is also informed by neuro-affirming principles, schema therapy, the social model of disability and spoon theory and seeks to collaboratively solve problems faced by her clients. She has experience in delivering therapy programs such as the Westmead Feelings Program and is a registered group facilitator of this program, as well as Collaborative and Proactive Solutions Model (CPS). She also has experience with other therapy programs such as Cool Kids, Triple P and attachment-based therapies.

Shannon is experienced in the administration of neuro-affirming assessments for Autism, ADHD, Specific Learning Disorders, cognitive and academic assessment in both children and adults, and assessment is an area of special interest for her. Shannon is also experienced in school readiness assessment and vocational and career assessments.