About Shirley
Shirley Souder uses a practical, relationship-focused approach to help people manage life’s stresses. She blends talk-based methods with clear problem-solving to address anxiety, grief, addiction, parenting strain, relationship concerns, and career stress. Shirley holds both LMFT and Licensed Clinical Social Worker credentials and has more than four decades of experience in the field.
She prefers straightforward, goal-oriented conversations. Sessions often look at daily choices, patterns in relationships, and small changes that add up.
Background and approach
Shirley helps people practice emotional forgiveness skills and improve communication with others. She also coaches on practical tasks like interviewing for a job or handling difficult people. Her background includes degrees in psychology and Christian counseling, plus experience applying faith-based perspectives when clients request that context.
Shirley combines that background with attachment-focused and cognitive approaches to help clients understand how past connections shape current feelings. People working with her can expect a mix of supportive listening and concrete steps to try between sessions. She draws on motivational techniques to help clients move toward goals.
The focus is on what someone wants to change and how to get there in manageable steps. Shirley practices from Indiana and works with adults on a variety of concerns, including depression, trauma, self-esteem, and coping with life changes. Her style is practical, down-to-earth, and respectful of each person’s values and pace.
How Shirley’s approaches translate to online therapy
Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on patterns in close relationships and how those patterns affect current emotions. In online sessions this means talking about past and present connections, identifying recurring hurts, and practicing new ways to respond that reduce conflict and build trust.Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes listening and reflecting so the client leads the pace and topics. Online formats let a therapist follow that pace while offering steady support, validation, and gentle guidance tailored to each person’s goals.
Finding the right approach is part of the work together. Shirley will help figure out which methods fit a person’s needs, goals, and preferences. That choice is collaborative and can change as progress is made.
Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to provide flexibility. Video is good for full conversations and visual cues, phone works well when internet bandwidth is limited, live chat can be used for brief check-ins, and text messaging supports short updates or reminders between longer sessions. These options help people fit therapy into busy lives and maintain steady momentum toward their goals.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
Also works with
- Abandonment
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- Avoidant personality
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Cancer
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Coaching
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Depression
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Parenting issues
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Post-traumatic stress
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 43 years
- Licensed
- Indiana
- Languages
- English