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Welcome to the Passages Blog

Welcome to my first blog post!  Since this is a new form of expression for me, I must admit to slight first-time jitters.  I imagine that many of my clients experience similar apprehension when coming to meet me or Jennifer Shontz for the first therapy session.  So, in an effort to make you more comfortable, allow me to tell you a bit about myself and why I do the work that I do.

I am a wife, mother of two adult children and grandmother of two brilliant grandchildren!  I studied social work both as an undergraduate and graduate student and have a master’s degree in social work from the University of Kansas.  As a social worker, I held positions addressing issues of poverty, foster care, adoptions, hospice care and cancer care prior to becoming clinically trained as a psychotherapist.  I have worked for Kansas City Hospice and Palliative care for fifteen years.  In 2006, KCH supported launching Passages, a counseling program for individuals with health issues, senior concerns, and grief and loss.  A few years later, trauma treatment was added.  In a future blog post, I will share with you more information about the highly respected and effective therapy for trauma, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy.  I am honored to be certified in EMDR Therapy and to make it available to my clients when appropriate.

As a social worker, I highly value providing my clients with compassion and respect for their struggles, both past and future.  I try to offer them a better understanding of unhelpful patterns and negative feelings in their lives.  Together we work on new ways of thinking and strategies for improving their lives.  I recognize that I don’t have all the answers my clients might need.  Periodically I may suggest community groups, classes, books, websites and other resources that clients might find helpful. I teach relaxation techniques and self-help strategies for managing uncomfortable feelings.   Taking my suggestions is up to the client.  I believe that therapy is a collaborative effort.  I offer clients my knowledge and skills, but they do the work to make changes to better their lives.

Stevie Shuchart


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Our Programs

There's a long list of hospices in Kansas City, but there's only one Kansas City Hospice. Our programs provide comprehensive expert care for all ages at all stages of serious illness.

Hospice Care

When the focus shifts to comfort instead of treatment, care comes to your home or nursing facility with a plan tailored to your needs, including emotional and spiritual support for the whole family.

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Hospice Care

Palliative Home Health Care

When complex needs benefit from a team approach, supportive home care brings the care you need, with 24/7 nurse support for pain, stress and symptoms due to serious illness.

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Palliative Home Health Care

Community-Based Palliative Care

Beginning as early as diagnosis and at any stage of serious illness, our nurse practitioners make home visits as needed to help coordinate your care and provide expert pain and symptom management.

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Community-Based Palliative Care
Hospice House

Hospice House

When symptoms cannot be easily managed at home, two hospice houses provide 24/7 expert care in comfortable home-line settings where family members can be relieved of caregiving duties to focus on loved ones.

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Carousel Pediatric Care

Carousel provides palliative and hospice care for perinatal and for babies through young adults with a dedicated team of pediatric nurses, social workers, chaplains and other specialists.

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Carousel Pediatric Care
Solace House

Solace House

Our center for grief and healing supports individuals and families who have been impacted by the death of a loved one, whether anticipated, or sudden and unexpected. We provide opportunities to share, listen, learn and heal with peer group support from age 3 through adult.

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