Shawn Riker

What clients walk away with, more than anything else, is the sense that they were truly known by their therapist. Shawn Riker, a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist based in Lake Mary, Florida, builds that kind of relationship deliberately — because he believes the quality of the therapeutic relationship predicts the outcome of therapy more reliably than any technique. He works with individuals, couples, families, and adolescents navigating anxiety, adjustment challenges, personality disorders, career transitions, burnout, and the full spectrum of family conflict, from communication breakdowns to infidelity and divorce.

Shawn came to this work through a winding road — political science, a Capitol Hill internship, a public defender’s office, a cross-country move or two — and he draws on that lived texture in the room. He holds a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy, is a Clinical Fellow with the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy, and brings specialized training in Hypnosis, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Core Communication, and Prepare/Enrich Premarital work. When a client tells him they cannot quiet their mind at night because the notifications never actually stop, he recognizes that as a clinical concern, not a personal failing.

Shawn runs an independent practice, which means he can think outside conventional frameworks and tailor his approach to each person. He offers online sessions and welcomes clients who are ready to do the kind of work he has done himself.