ABOUT SEEKING CONSULTATION OR THERAPY:

The decision to seek help is not an easy one. Usually by the time a person considers professional help they have struggled with their concern for some time.  Shellie understands that most people prefer to solve problems on their own and seek help only as a last resort.  She offers compassion and understanding in helping clients open up and begin to identify and address their concerns.  

 

Consulting with a professional can bring about an unexpected and welcome relief.  When you find the right fit with a therapist, support and validation is usually experienced on the first meeting.  Whatever anxiety and fear you may have had about seeking help, falls to the wayside as you recognize you can actually get the help you have needed for some time.   

All of us feel stuck from time time to time.  Sometimes our best efforts don’t bring the result or the relief we desperately need.   While it’s not an easy conclusion to reach, it only makes sense, that we can’t always solve our problems solely on our own.  We need a mechanic to fix our cars, a plumber to help with our plumbing, and a mental health professional to help us improve our mental health.  

Silicon Valley draws some of the brightest and the best people into it’s sphere.   It is a highly pressured, competitive, and stressful environment to live and work in.  Many if not most people living and working in this environment experience moderate to high daily pressures and resulting anxiety.   Life balance is hard to maintain.  Coping is not easy.  Coping strategies that may have worked in the past, may no longer be effective.   Even the highest functioning people are capable of reaching a breaking point.  Don’t wait that long, and don’t go it alone.  Help and support is within your reach and it begins with acknowledging you are ready for help.  Most people who takes these steps experience relief within a short period of time.  Sessions are completely private and you may use your EAP, insurance or pay privately.

  My Background and Approach Includes:

• Couples Counseling-Gottman inspired 
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• DBT Skills Training
• Consultation/Brief Therapy
• Health & Wellness Focus
• Existential Psychotherapy
• Positive Psychology
• Mindfulness Based Stress Management
• Buddhist foundation and long-time meditation practitioner 

Employee Assistance

I am an Employee Assistance Professional which may be your entry point into a visit with me.  Your benefit package through your employer typically authorizes several visits per year free of charge as part of your wellness program.

Counseling:

I practice both short solution focused therapy and long-term psychotherapy.  Short term solution focused therapy ranges from one to three sessions and as stated it is focused on a “solution” that involves making behavioral changes and the use of tools to bring about those changes.  Longer term counseling is anything beyond four or five sessions where deeper core issues and concerns reside and are explored.  This is where deeper discussion and a better understanding of yourself brings about meaningful and longlasting life change.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE:

Individual Concerns

How Sessions Work:

Clients often initiate psychotherapy after struggling on their own for some time, which results in a backlog of emotions that surface in the first meeting.   You will have an opportunity to describe your primary concerns and the history leading up to them.   I will give you immediate feedback and my perspective about what I observe and understand your challenges to be.  From there we discuss the role of psychotherapy and how it will help you address these concerns.