Shanette Williams, LMFT

With over 20 years of experience providing psychotherapy services throughout California’s Central Valley, Shanette Williams, LMFT, is deeply committed to helping individuals and families heal from the impact of trauma. Shanette specializes in trauma-informed care, offering compassionate, evidence-based treatment to survivors of sexual abuse, child abuse, sexual assault, domestic violence, and commercially sexual exploitation children. Her clinical work spans across the lifespan, supporting children, adolescents, and adults.

Shanette holds advanced certifications in Compassionate Bereavement Care and Perinatal Mental Health, equipping her to provide expert care to clients experiencing grief, loss, and perinatal mental health challenges.

Before joining A Step Forward, Shanette has been in private practice and has dedicated two decades of service to Stanislaus County Behavioral Health. During her tenure, she worked extensively with the CAIRE Center—a local forensic child advocacy center—where she collaborated with a multidisciplinary team to support children, youth, and non-offending family members during forensic investigations. She provided ongoing trauma-informed therapy tailored to the unique needs of each client.

Shanette also played a pivotal role in the Child Welfare Behavioral Health team, where she provided assessment, individual and family therapy, and reunification support for foster youth of all ages. Her work included services for Non-Minor Dependents (NMDs)—young adults aged 18 to 21 who remained voluntarily in foster care to receive continued support as they transitioned to independence.

Shanette earned her Bachelor of Science in Criminology with an option in Victimology, from California State University Fresno and her Master of Counseling from the University of Phoenix. Her career reflects a lifelong dedication to advocacy, healing, and empowerment for those impacted by trauma.