Shannon Dunn, Ph.D., LCSW, CRADC
Clinical Associate Professor
Advanced Accredited Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Counselor Training Program Director
Shannon Dunn is a Clinical Social Worker, educator, and author with over four decades of experience in behavioral health. Since 1980, she has provided care for individuals and families impacted by schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, personality disorders, and severe addictions. Her clinical background spans every level of the mental health care system—from state hospitals and inpatient units to outpatient and private practice settings. Her academic background includes a Ph.D. and MSW in Clinical Social Work from Loyola University Chicago and a BS from the University of Evansville.
Since 1999, she has taught in MSW programs at Loyola University Chicago and the University of Southern California, specializing in foundational and advanced clinical practice, law and ethics, and social justice. She brings the classroom to life through learner-centered instruction, expert guest speakers, multimedia integration, and field trips. In 2008, she was honored with the Jane Addams Teacher of the Year Award at USC’s School of Social Work.
Dunn's approach is rooted in the Recovery Model, strengths-based practice, and trauma-informed care. She integrates evidence-based practices such as DBT, EMDR, CBT, Interpersonal Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Expressive Art Therapy, and Psychodynamic Therapy. She is LGBTQ+ affirming and culturally responsive, committed to holistic, collaborative care, alongside interdisciplinary team members.
In 2018, Dunn published Healing the Distress of Psychosis: Listening with Psychotic Ears, a book that explores compassionate, person-centered approaches to psychosis and serious mental illness.
Dunn maintains a private consulting practice, providing psychotherapy to children, adolescents, and adults, as well as supervision for ACSWs. She regularly present on clinical topics to direct practice professionals and community organizations.
Originally from Evansville, Indiana, Dunn spent 14 years in Chicago and many years in Los Angeles. In 2025, she returned to Chicago and now serves as Clinical Assistant Professor of Social Work (Non-Tenure Track) at Loyola University Chicago and Director of the Advanced Accredited Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Counselor Training Program.
Research Interests
- Severe Mental Illness and Recovery-Oriented Care – Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and psychotic-spectrum conditions within a strengths-based, trauma-informed framework.
- Addiction and Co-Occurring Disorders – Integrated treatment and advanced clinical training for substance use and behavioral addictions.
- Clinical Education and Supervision – Teaching, mentoring, and developing future social workers through experiential and learner-centered approaches.
- Evidence-Based and Integrative Psychotherapies – Application and integration of DBT, EMDR, CBT, Interpersonal, Narrative, Expressive Arts, and Psychodynamic therapies.
- Ethics, Law, and Social Justice in Clinical Practice – Promoting equitable, ethical, and culturally responsive care within diverse systems.
- LGBTQ+ Affirming and Culturally Responsive Practice – Advocacy and inclusion in clinical, academic, and community settings.
- Writing and Public Speaking on Mental Health and Recovery – Authoring, presenting, and disseminating compassionate, person-centered approaches to mental health care.
Courses Taught
- SOWK 500 Life Span Development, Human Behavior, Trauma, & Theory
- SOWK 501 Assessment of Client Concerns in Context (DSM-5-TR)
- SOWK 503 Practice Skills with Individuals and Families
- SOWK 612 Family Assessment and Intervention
- SOWK 616 Psychotherapy with Adults
- SOWK 621 Clinical Practice in Addiction
- SOWK 622 Substance Abuse Treatment in Groups
- SOWK 626 Social Work with Severely Mentally Ill
- SOWK 645 Crisis Intervention
- SOWK 680 Advanced Micro-Level Practice
- SOWK 681 Advanced Mezzo & Macro Practice
- SOWK 722 Introduction to Alcohol and Other Drug Disorders