About the Center > Meet Our Staff

Shane Kennington, MSW, LCSW

Staff Clinician
Clinical Social Worker

Responsibilities

As a licensed clinical social worker at the Simms/Mann Center I am honored to be able to work alongside an amazingly passionate and experienced group of people. I began here in 2008 and am the newest member of the team. I have been welcomed with such enthusiasm and it has been wonderful.

Cancer not only disrupts the life of the person who is diagnosed with it, but also the lives of the family and friends who offer support. At the center, I offer services not only to patients but also to the husbands, wives, significant others and other family members and friends who may be affected. Some of the facets of my job are to assist patients in problem solving, help them to identify resources that they may need and make referrals to outside resources as needed.

My main responsibilities currently are providing direct patient care, offering psychosocial support for the ocular melanoma and esophageal clinics. I provide psychosocial care to patients and their family members through one-on-one therapy, couple and family counseling, information and education, advocacy within the healthcare system, and resources and referrals. This includes time spent in the clinics and treatment areas where patients receive their medical care. I believe in our mission of helping patients to optimize their wellness throughout the continuum of cancer care. I am also involved in helping to develop new components to the clinical education program for our students in training.

Training

I received a B.A. in psychology with a minor in sociology from the California State University Northridge in Northridge, California in 2003. I obtained my Masters in Social Welfare (MSW) two years later in 2005 from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). In 2009 I became a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) in the state of California.

Professional Work

I started my professional career in social work, at Aids Healthcare Foundation here in Los Angeles. During this time I accrued my supervised hours for licensure. I operated in various capacities, including clinical social worker, group facilitator, and community speaker and liaison. I worked in very much the same capacity as I do here at the Simms/Mann by providing therapies to individuals and groups as well as resource coordination for patients. I worked in conjunction with physicians and other colleagues on a number of research studies. I have also collaborated with other HIV organizations on a number of outreach programs to youth populations.

In 2007 I was honored to be asked to present at the HIV Social Work Conference in Washington D.C. on the topic of “Internalized Homophobia and Methamphetamine Abuse”. With this experience my passion for public speaking was born. I look forward to presenting in the future on topics related to my current work here at the Center.

Personal Interests and Perspectives

When you work intensely at your job, it is important to take care of yourself. Keeping healthy allows me to be more available to our patients. I use exercise, such as weight training, Pilates and yoga as a source for rejuvenation. I also enjoy travel as much as possible; if I see a plane I want to be on it. Self care and support in one’s life are key elements to health and success. I hope to bring these elements of teaching self care and establishing support into the lives of my patients here at the Simms/Mann Center.