Hey There!
I'm Shanah- Daughter of THE King, who is the creator of the universe. I've worn many hats in my short life. I recently journeyed across the Caribbean Sea and have found myself in Kentucky. Well, that's the short version of the story.
I am an unmarried single woman with no children and I know nothing says unqualified to work with families more than those two experiences or lack thereof. It's an ideal life for the creative side of our business, but helping families- I can understand the skepticism. However, you'd be surprised that I may just be the right person for you and your family. Take some time. Get to know me and let's talk about how I can best help you and your family. I've shared a little bit more about myself below. Enjoy the journey!
About Our Owner
God carefully handpicked me and decided my entry into the world would commence in the U.S. Virgin Islands where I was born and raised within a family dynamic that came with many challenges. In God's sovereignty he knew this was the training ground for my purpose. The dysfunctions and challenges I both experienced and observed fueled my passion and interests for working with children and families. My experiences birthed a desire to help children rise above their circumstances and become the best version of themselves. However, as I garnered more experiences and training on childhood development, I recognized that the most impactful change would come from including families in the process. It's with these passion and interests burning within me that I pursued a Bachelor's and Master's in Psychology. After graduating with my Bachelor's in Psychology with a minor in Communications, I began working as a Case Manager for youth and families involved with the Juvenile Justice System. Usually when people I asked about my job, I gave the simplest explanation I could think of which was a "Kiddie probation officer." I worked with both children and their families to meet the requirements of the court and also access the resources needed to reduce recidivism. Though I was working with children and families, I knew I wanted to do counseling and pursued my Master's in Psychology which focused primarily on counseling.
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​Throughout my Master's program, I dove into researching play therapy. When I began internship, I worked with one of my internship supervisors to effectively implement play therapy interventions in sessions to build trust and open communication as we worked to help children overcome the difficulties they faced. During the conclusion of my Master's program and internship, I had the privilege to be trained in Applied Behavioral Analysis and worked as a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT). As an RBT, I worked with children who had developmental delays and disabilities and implemented interventions to assist them with developing socially appropriate behaviors, healthy interpersonal interactions, and age and/or developmentally appropriate independent living skills.
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​Eventually, I transitioned from the role of an RBT to a psychometrist (very fancy word for someone who conducts psychological assessments). Surprisingly, all the skills I learned as an RBT were essential in this role as well. As a psychometrist I continued to work with children with developmental delays and disabilities and I also worked with adults. This further built on the knowledge and experiences I acquired in learning about development, behaviors, and effective behavioral interventions not just with children but also adults. During this time, I conducted evaluations as well as provided child, family, and individual (adult) counseling services under the supervision of licensed psychologists. While working in this capacity, I became a certified life coach but continued my work as I waited to determine how I could best serve others within the role of a life coach.
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I am now a vocational rehabilitation counselor and continue to work with individuals with disabilities but within a different capacity. I get the opportunity to learn more about how each person is personally impacted by their diagnoses and the best ways to meet their needs.
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While I may not be a parent, I am someone's child and have also been trained to work with children and families. I offer a unique perspective. I am able to step into the mind of the child and bring depth and understanding to the behaviors they present while also being able to simultaneously hold the perspective of an authority figure that understands importance of stewarding behaviors in a direction that would foster healthy relationships and productive contributions to society. I am an unbiased and neutral observer, with various professional and personal experiences, that works to help everyone involved understand each other better and identify effective solutions for the challenges presented.
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The Gift Shop:
Our Story
People say that necessity is the mother of invention but I believe God's creative power is made manifest in our time of need. Mother's day of 2021 was the very first time I ever created one of our themed greeting card bookmarks. I love giving gifts and I don't feel like any gift is complete without a meaningful greeting card. There were many special women in my life I wanted to celebrate and share a gift with but so little money to do so. I had purchased a book Precious in His Sight by Theresa Ingram and I wanted to gift it to as many women as possible. But I ran into a problem. My gifts were incomplete. They had no greeting cards. That's when I remembered I had the ability to draw and the very first themed greeting card bookmarks were created. As more special occasions came (father's day, baby showers, good byes), all these ideas would bubble in me and each time I would create a bookmark that matched the occasion and reflected a unique aspect of the recipients life. And that's how we began creating personalized and themed bookmarks. It's an opportunity to be intentional about sharing our heart with others as well as Christ's love. What started as bookmarks has been expanded into an inventory of personalized gift items for loved ones.
