Brandi Jones-Shaw
Finding a therapist you feel comfortable with can be difficult, and I’m proud of you for taking this important first step. I’m Brandi Jones-Shaw, a licensed clinical social worker with more than 20 years of experience supporting young adults, adults, and older adults through life’s challenges and transitions. My approach is warm, compassionate, and collaborative. I believe you are the expert on your own life, and I offer a welcoming, nonjudgmental space where you can feel heard and express yourself honestly. Together, we’ll explore what brings you to therapy and develop strategies that fit your needs and values. I support clients experiencing anxiety, depression, self-doubt, medical concerns, grief, stress, and major life changes. I also help people strengthen self-esteem, manage difficult emotions, and build confidence as they move toward their goals. My client-centered, strengths-based approach draws from CBT, DBT, ACT, mindfulness, and solution-focused therapy. Whether you’re navigating a career change, coping with loss, adjusting to a new stage of life, or feeling stuck, I’ll meet you where you are. We can make room for what you’re feeling while identifying manageable steps forward. You do not have to navigate this alone.
First session
In our first session, we’ll get to know one another and talk about what brought you to therapy, what life has been like lately, and what you hope might change. You can share at a pace that feels comfortable. You don’t need to have a clear goal or know how to explain everything right away. I’ll listen, ask questions to understand your experience, and begin exploring what kind of support would be most helpful. My hope is that you leave feeling heard, less alone, and hopeful that there is a path forward. I provide individual therapy, so our sessions focus on your experiences and goals. My approach will be tailored to you: some people need room to process first, while others are ready to begin identifying practical steps.
Strengths
One of my greatest strengths is creating a welcoming space where you can be open without fear of judgment. I listen carefully and consider how your relationships, responsibilities, health, and life circumstances shape what you’re experiencing. My work across mental health, medical, crisis, military, veteran, substance use, and community settings has given me a broad perspective. I know that no single approach works for everyone, so I tailor our work to your goals, preferences, strengths, and pace. I bring both empathy and practical support to sessions. I’m comfortable sitting with difficult feelings and giving you room to process them. When you’re ready, we can also look at thought patterns, practice ways to manage anxiety, rehearse a boundary-setting conversation, or break an overwhelming goal into small steps you can take in daily life. You can expect me to be warm, steady, encouraging, and honest. I’ll help you recognize progress and navigate setbacks, and I may gently challenge a belief or pattern when doing so could help you move forward. My goal is for you to feel heard and leave with a clearer understanding of yourself and tools you can use beyond our sessions.
Ideal clients
I work well with young adults, adults, and older adults who want support navigating anxiety, depression, grief, health concerns, stress, or a major life transition. You may be doing your best to manage work, relationships, and everyday responsibilities while feeling overwhelmed, or unsure what to do next. Perhaps you’re caught in overthinking or self-doubt, struggling to set boundaries, adjusting to a change in your health or career, or finding that worry is making it harder to take steps toward what matters to you. You don’t need to know exactly what your goals are before starting therapy. We can make sense of what you’re experiencing and find a starting point together. My approach may be a good fit if you want space to feel heard alongside practical support you can use between sessions. We can explore your thoughts and feelings, recognize the strengths you already have, and work on coping skills, communication, or manageable steps toward change. I’ll meet you where you are and tailor our work to your needs, values, and pace.
Treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I use CBT to help you understand how your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors influence one another. For example, if anxiety tells you, “I’ll make a mistake,” you may start avoiding something important to you. Together, we can look at that thought, consider whether it tells the whole story, and find a more helpful way to respond. CBT is collaborative and practical. We may identify patterns that keep you stuck, practice coping skills, and choose a small step to try between sessions. My goal is to help you feel more confident handling challenges in your daily life.
Acceptance and commitment (ACT)
I use ACT to help you make room for difficult thoughts and feelings without letting them decide every step you take. For example, you may feel anxious about a career change while also wanting work that feels meaningful. We can explore what matters to you, practice noticing anxious thoughts without getting caught up in them, and choose a small step that reflects your goals. ACT does not ask you to ignore pain or force yourself to feel positive. It helps you respond to challenges with greater flexibility and keep moving toward the life you want, even when things feel uncertain.
Compassion-Focused
I use Compassion-Focused Therapy to help you notice how you speak to yourself, especially when you’re struggling or feel you’ve fallen short. If resting brings up guilt, or a mistake leads to harsh self-criticism, we can explore those reactions and practice responding with the same understanding you might offer someone you care about. Being compassionate with yourself does not mean ignoring problems. It can help you face them with less shame, recognize what you need, and make changes from a place of support rather than self-judgment.
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
I draw on DBT skills to help you handle strong emotions, get through stressful moments, and communicate your needs more clearly. For example, if a difficult conversation leaves you feeling overwhelmed, we might practice pausing and grounding yourself before deciding how to respond. We could also work on expressing a boundary in a way that respects both you and the other person. Together, we’ll choose skills that fit your situation, practice them in session, and talk about how to use them when similar challenges come up in your daily life.
Supportive
I use Supportive Therapy to give you space to talk through what you’re experiencing and feel heard without judgment. If you’re facing a loss, a health concern, or an overwhelming change, we can make sense of your feelings, identify what you need, and recognize the strengths that have helped you through difficult times before. I’ll listen and offer encouragement while helping you explore options and find manageable next steps. Sometimes the most helpful place to begin is simply having room to be honest about what’s hard.
Location
Virtual sessions
Identifies as
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Serves
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Licensed in
- CaliforniaLicense 129191