About Shima
The therapist who gets it - because she’s lived it
I'm Shima Baronian, a Licensed Master Social Worker, Certified Financial Social Worker, and EMDR therapist with Jamaican roots and a deep commitment to the kind of healing that goes beyond symptom management.
I work with individuals and couples who are ready to do the real work - processing what's been stored in the body, breaking patterns that were handed down long before they were born, and building lives that actually feel like theirs.
Growing up in the Caribbean, I understood early that strength, silence, and survival were often treated as the same thing. That you carried what you carried and kept moving. That talking about money was taboo, that emotions were managed not explored, and that family loyalty sometimes came at the cost of your own wellbeing.
I also understood what it felt like to walk into spaces, including therapy spaces, and not see yourself reflected back. To have to explain your family structure, your cultural context, your relationship with money and trauma before the actual work could even begin.
That experience is exactly why I do this work the way I do it.
I specialize in trauma because I believe most of what we struggle with in our relationships, our finances, and our sense of self has roots that go deeper than the present moment. EMDR and somatic therapy allow us to work with those roots directly, not just talk about them, but actually process and release them from the nervous system.
I became a Certified Financial Social Worker because I saw, over and over again, how financial stress and trauma were showing up in the therapy room, and how few therapists were equipped to hold that conversation. Money isn't just a practical issue. It's wrapped up in shame, in survival, in what we were taught we deserved. That intersection is where some of the most important healing happens.
My clients are first-generation cycle-breakers, Caribbean and diaspora community members, adults navigating generational trauma and family dysfunction, and people who are ready to stop inheriting what hurt them. They come to me because they want a therapist who already understands the terrain - so we can spend our time healing, not translating.
If you're ready to do more than talk about it - this is your space.
What it’s like to work with me
Therapy with me is warm — but it's not soft. I show up fully present, I pay attention to what you're saying and what you're not, and I won't let you stay comfortable in patterns that are keeping you stuck. That's not because I'm here to push you. It's because I respect you too much to let you settle.
We'll work together to understand what's happening in your body, not just your mind. We'll look at where your patterns came from, what they were protecting you from, and what it might look like to finally put them down. And we'll do all of it in a space where you don't have to explain your culture, your family, or why it's complicated.
MY GUIDING PRINCIPLES
Warm & Direct
I don't dance around what I'm noticing. You'll always know where we are and what we're working toward. No vague reflections — just honest, compassionate conversations that actually move things forward.
Collaberative
This is your healing, not mine. I bring the tools, the training, and the observations — you bring your expertise on your own life. We figure it out together, at a pace that works for you.
Body-based & Somatic
Trauma doesn't just live in your thoughts — it lives in your body. I pay attention to what's showing up physically, not just mentally, because that's where some of the deepest healing happens.
Culturally Grounded.
You won't spend your sessions explaining your Jamaican grandmother, your immigrant family's relationship with money, or why leaving is never as simple as people say. We start from a place of understanding.
Evidence-Based
Everything we do is grounded in research and proven clinical frameworks - EMDR, somatic therapy, trauma-informed approaches. This isn't just talk. It's structured, intentional work with a clear direction.
Licensed Master Social Worker - Georgia
Certified Financial Social Worker - one of a small number of therapists in Georgia with this specialized certification in financial wellness
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing - an evidence-based trauma therapy approach that works with the nervous system to process and release stored trauma
Body-based trauma therapy approaches that recognize how trauma is stored in the body, not just the mind
Beyond the Therapy Room
My work doesn't stop at the therapy room door. I'm also the creator of Dear Brown Gyal™ - a platform and community for cycle-breakers navigating generational healing, financial wellness, and the complicated work of becoming who they were always meant to be.
If you're not quite ready for therapy but you're hungry for community, resources, and honest conversation about the work of breaking cycles - Dear Brown Gyal™ is your space.
TRAINING & EDUCATION