Somatic, trauma-informed care for people who carry a lot
I’m Shay DuBois (she/her), a licensed clinical social worker offering somatic trauma therapy throughout California and trauma-informed coaching worldwide.
My work is grounded, relational, and precise- designed for people who are capable, conscientious, and quietly exhausted. Many of my clients are high performers, helpers, clinicians, and medical professionals who function well on the outside while feeling anxious, braced, or depleted internally.
I specialize in helping people move beyond managing symptoms toward nervous-system-level change.
My orientation
Rather than asking, “What’s wrong with you?”
I’m more interested in, “What did your nervous system learn it had to do to survive?”
My approach is:
Somatic and nervous system based
Trauma-informed and non-pathologizing
Relational and carefully paced
Oriented toward capacity, choice, and regulation
This work respects your intelligence and your system’s protective strategies, while supporting meaningful change.
Training & professional grounding
I am one of only 41 clinicians in the United States certified in Compassionate Inquiry, a trauma-informed approach developed by Dr. Gabor Maté. My work is also informed by Somatic Experiencing, IFS, the Biology of Trauma, and other somatic, relational, and trauma-focused training.
Rather than relying on a single modality, I integrate approaches thoughtfully, based on what is clinically and ethically appropriate.
My work has been cited by national and international publications including HuffPost, National Geographic, Psychology.org, Parade, Yahoo!Life, and The Flow Space.
Who I tend to work best with
I often work with adults who:
Are high-functioning and chronically over-responsible
Struggle with anxiety, people-pleasing, or burnout
Have developmental, relational, or complex trauma
Are mental health or medical professionals seeking their own support
Indentify as LGBTQ+ and experience chronic stress or vigilance
You don’t need to be in crisis to work with me. Many clients come because their systems have never fully learned how to rest.
A note on boundaries and care
I maintain a small, private-pay practice so the work can remain contained, ethical, and sustainable- for both my clients and myself.
If it feels like a potential fit, the next step is a brief inquiry
our social Contact information
My coworkers
Luna and Dobby are my coworking Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.
