About Shirley
Shirley Ikenze is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) based in California who centers sessions on the person in the room. She listens first, then helps people set clear goals and practical steps. Her style is straightforward and gentle, aimed at making change manageable and realistic.
Shirley draws on 26 years of experience helping people with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, and trauma. She also supports those dealing with career pressure, self-esteem struggles, sleep problems, anger, and life transitions.
Background and approach
ADHD is listed among her focus areas and she brings that into planning and coaching conversations. Sessions move at the client’s pace. Shirley uses client-centered methods to follow what matters most to the individual.
She also uses mindfulness to help people notice thoughts and feelings without getting overwhelmed. Her work includes solution-focused conversation and motivational interviewing to break big problems into small, doable steps. Narrative approaches help people reframe difficult experiences and find strengths in their stories.
Many clients find this mix helpful for practical change and emotional healing. Shirley practices in California and holds a California LCSW credential. She offers sessions in English and uses a variety of online formats.
Getting started involves a short matching questionnaire and scheduling through the site.
Approach and online sessions that fit daily life
Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and following what is most important to the person. The therapist aims to understand each person’s experience and build goals from their strengths and values. This approach helps when someone needs space to tell their story and decide what change looks like.Mindfulness therapy teaches simple attention skills to notice thoughts and feelings without getting swept away by them. It can help with anxiety, stress, sleep problems, and moments of overwhelm by providing short practices to use during the day. Motivational interviewing supports people who want to make changes but feel stuck; it uses curiosity and guided questions to find what matters and increase motivation.
Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with the client about needs, goals, and preferences, and try methods that match those priorities. Together they adjust the plan so sessions stay practical and relevant.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video lets people use visual cues and longer conversations. Phone sessions can fit into a busy day or require less bandwidth. Live chat and text messaging work well for quick check-ins and ongoing coaching between sessions. These options make it easier to keep therapy consistent around work, school, or caregiving demands.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Also listed
- Abandonment
- ADHD
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Blended family issues
- Cancer
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Coaching
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Family conflicts
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Multicultural concerns
- Parenting issues
- Post-traumatic stress
- Postpartum depression
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Sleeping disorders
- Stress, Anxiety
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Women's issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 26 years
- Licensed
- California
- Languages
- English
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