Hi, I'm Shellene but everyone calls me Shelley. Are you struggling keeping up with your day to day activities? Do you find yourself more anxious than usual or experiencing bouts of sadness, lack of energy or are you sleep deprived? If so, I can help you get back on track so you can begin to function at the level you desire. We can work together to figure out what the root causes are to your distress and come up with a plan of action to help you find balance. I use several methods of intervention to include mindfulness, cognitive behavioral therapy and life management skills to get you back to a place of comfort and stability. Whatever you are dealing with, we will work as a team to find the best solutions to your problems. You will find me to be compassionate and understanding as we navigate through the issues which have brought you to counseling. My mission is to help each person learn to cope with their day to day stresses that negatively impact their lives. I’m looking forward to working with you!
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
After your initial session with me, you should start to feel a sense of relief. I find clients who have never been in therapy before can feel anxious about what to expect. However, if a client has previously seen a therapist, I ask about their experience to get a general idea of what it was like for them. Clients are then asked to share what brings them to therapy or what issues they may be having and how they may be impacting their life. The flow of the initial session is more about making the client feel comfortable about opening up and sharing how they are feeling. There is absolutely no pressure put on the client to disclose anything they may not be ready to talk about at that time.
What treatment methods and tools do you utilize?
I use Cognitive Behavior Therapy or CBT, Psycho-Education, Solution Focused Brief Therapy or SFBT and Mindfulness during my therapy sessions. CBT involves changing one's thinking and/or behavior patterns and can be done by various ways such as role playing, problem solving and exercises either at home or during therapy sessions. SFBT is a therapeutic approach focused on short-term goals which looks for solutions to a client's problems without dwelling on every detail of the client's issues. With Mindfulness, I encourage client's to focus on being present by utilizing tools such as of meditation, relaxation and deep breathing exercises which can help in relieving stress and symptoms of depression.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
I believe my main strength as a therapist is I am an upbeat person who enjoys helping people find solutions to their problems. I have personally experienced a number of changes in my life and have managed to move forward and use those experiences to help others in achieving their own best life. My specialties include working with clients who suffer from anxiety, depression, grief, relationship problems, work-related stress, parenting issues, PTSD and low self-esteem. Helping clients understand the source of their problems and providing them with coping strategies to either eliminate or reduce those negative symptoms, is one of my strengths that I try to share while working with my clients.