Anne Shields

(she/her )

LCSW, 20 years of experience
Warm
Empowering
Authentic
VirtualAvailable

I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker based in Virginia with more than 20 years of experience supporting individuals through life’s emotional challenges. My approach is grounded in empathy, collaboration, and evidence‑based therapeutic practices. I’m committed to helping you navigate stress, anxiety, relationship concerns, or personal growth with compassion and practical tools tailored to your needs. My goal is to create a safe, supportive space where you can explore your experiences openly and begin building the life you want. Healing and growth are possible, and I’d be honored to walk alongside you as you take the first step toward meaningful change.

Get to know me

In our first session together, here's what you can expect

Feeling comfortable and understood in therapy is essential, and it’s completely normal for the first few sessions to feel new or uncertain. I encourage you to give yourself 2–3 sessions to settle in, get a sense of our connection, and find a rhythm that feels right. In these early conversations, we’ll explore what brought you to therapy—what feels painful, overwhelming, or simply not working as well as you’d like. You’ll have space to share your story at your own pace. Together, we’ll begin identifying the changes you hope to make and the goals you want to work toward. My priority is to ensure you feel supported, respected, and grounded as we begin this journey.

The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions

I bring deep passion, hope, and clinical expertise to every session. My work is guided by integrity, curiosity, and genuine care. You can expect a therapeutic space where you feel heard, validated, and empowered. I’m committed to helping you uncover your strengths, build resilience, and move toward healing with confidence.

The clients I'm best positioned to serve

I’m especially passionate about supporting individuals who are seeking meaningful emotional and mental health support. Whether you’re navigating depression, anxiety, chronic illness, or the complexities of everyday stress, I strive to offer a compassionate, nonjudgmental environment where you can feel safe to explore and grow. My approach blends empathy with evidence‑based strategies to help you develop coping skills, strengthen emotional resilience, and cultivate a greater sense of balance and fulfillment. My hope is that you leave each session feeling more grounded, more understood, and more capable of creating the life you want.

Specialties

Top specialties

Anxiety

Depression

Other specialties

I identify as

Serves ages

Licensed in

Accepts

Location

Virtual

My treatment methods

Acceptance and commitment (ACT)

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a type of psychotherapy that helps people develop psychological flexibility and adapt to challenges by accepting their thoughts and feelings, and committing to actions that improve their lives. This can be a very helpful, supportive type of psychotherapy for individuals experiencing a new diagnosis, long term health concerns, and/or adjusting to a new role in your life.

Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapy that helps people manage mental and physical health problems by changing the way they think and behave. This is a structured, short term treatment focused reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression related to one's current problems.

Supportive

Supportive psychotherapy is a type of therapy that primarily focuses on providing emotional support, encouragement, and validation during difficult life circumstances or psychological challenges

Grief Therapy

Grief therapy, also known as grief counseling, is a type of psychotherapy that helps people cope with the emotional, physical, social, spiritual, and cognitive responses to loss. It can help people deal with a greater than normal reaction to a loss and anticipatory loss.

, 37 ratings

7 ratings with written reviews

October 2, 2025

It’s my first time ever in therapy. I have had psychiatrists and medications, but my fear of possibly not liking a therapist, or my shutdown nature when the process of finding one was too hard, I never have. She made my first experience amazing, very strong communication on who she is as a therapist. This made me feel super comfortable, and willing to finally do this therapy thing, and not just a psychiatrist, as amazing as my psychiatrist is! Anne is absolutely amazing! I already feel better!🥰

Verified client, age 25-34
Review shared after session 1 with Anne

September 28, 2025

Instantly felt a connection with Anne on the first visit. I will add more as we continue our sessions.

Verified client, age 55-64
Review shared after session 1 with Anne

August 31, 2025

Anne is great at helping me always try to understand the WHY of a situation. When we find the WHY, she helps me understand where to go from there. She is open and empowering, and focuses on the root cause of a situation. For her to be my first ever therapist, I don't think I could have found a better fit for my needs and current circumstances.

Verified client, age 25-34
Review shared after session 5 with Anne