Change shows up in different forms. For some, it's healing from what happened, reclaiming a voice, a sense of safety, a life that feels like your own again. For others, it's designing what happens next, stepping from leadership into advisory work, from corporate into something entirely new. I offer two distinct practices built for these different journeys. Wherever you're standing, the work starts with the same thing: a safe, structured space to move forward.
Dr. Shakira Espada-Campos, DSW, LCSW/LICSW
With more than two decades of direct practice experience, I began my career in trauma recovery work with children and families, later deepening into intensive trauma-informed care for adults navigating PTSD and serious mental illness. I've held clinical leadership positions across community mental health and psychiatric settings serving as practice supervisor, lead clinician, clinical expert, and built a nationally recognized virtual behavioral health program serving all 50 states and Puerto Rico. I didn't arrive at executive leadership by accident. I built my way there, one promotion and one hard decision at a time. That climb is exactly why I understand what's at stake when my clients are deciding whether to keep climbing, or pivot entirely.
Licensed in Connecticut, Washington, and Virginia
(based in Northern Virginia)
For healing what happened to you
I'm a Doctor of Clinical Social Work. My career began over twenty years ago in non-profit and community mental health, serving diverse populations — where it quickly became clear that most of my clients were carrying complex trauma, and felt misunderstood and alone in it.
My ability to hold the space, and their tenacity to reclaim their voice and power, taught me what I build every session around: the therapeutic alliance. Everything meaningful that happens in therapy happens because of the collaboration between client and therapist.
My goal is to give you a safe, empowering space to work through what's standing between you and your full potential. I practice from a strengths-based, trauma-informed cognitive behavioral approach, and I'm trained in a range of modalities to treat your unique challenges — because counseling isn't one-size-fits-all. The goals we set together determine the approach we take.
Who this is for:
For designing what comes next
Transitions aren't just about changing jobs — they're about reimagining how you want to show up in the world. Whether you're moving from executive leadership to board service, corporate to entrepreneurship, full-time to portfolio work, or into an entirely new domain, the skills that got you here can be recalibrated for where you're going.
This is strategic advisory for accomplished professionals designing their next chapter: goal-focused, action-oriented, future-ready. My clients share an ambition for what's ahead, a willingness to be challenged, and a commitment to action, whether that's a teacher becoming a consultant, a therapist launching a wellness practice, or an executive stepping into board work. You don't need to have it all figured out, and you don't need a corner office to deserve strategic support. You just need to be ready to invest in yourself and take action toward the future you want to create.
Who this is for:
Leaders moving into board, advisory, or entrepreneurial roles
Professionals exploring portfolio or passion-driven work
Entrepreneurs scaling into a new phase of business or life
Anyone designing what's next after caregiving, service, or time away
Simply ask yourself: "What do I really want this next season to look like?"
I'm forward-focused and results-oriented. This is strategic partnership designed to produce tangible outcomes.
Methodologies Include:
Strategic Discovery
Roadmap Development
Skill Building
Implementation Support
Performance Optimization