Dr. Andrea Shirley, LMFT

Dr. Andrea Shirley is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) practicing in California with 27 years of professional experience. Over her career she has worked extensively with people facing stress and anxiety as well as individuals and couples navigating LGBTQ related concerns, relationship challenges, and family conflict. She draws on long experience to offer steady guidance while respecting each person as the expert of their own life.

Dr. Shirley emphasizes clients' existing strengths and resources as central to addressing difficulties. She encourages those who are ready to take the first step toward a more fulfilling and happier life, recognizing that seeking help takes courage. Her role is to support and collaborate with clients as they work through the issues that brought them to therapy.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care

Dr. Andrea Shirley draws on client-centered therapy to create a collaborative space where the client's perspective guides the work. This approach focuses on listening, empathy, and supporting the person's own goals, and it is helpful for stress, self-esteem, relationship concerns, and life transitions.

She also uses narrative therapy to help clients reframe and understand the stories they tell about themselves. By examining those narratives together, clients can identify patterns, separate problems from identity, and explore alternative ways of relating to challenges.

When trauma is a focus, trauma-focused therapy offers targeted ways to process and reduce the ongoing impact of painful experiences, supporting recovery and improved daily functioning.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Dr. Andrea Shirley works collaboratively with each client to determine which methods best match the client's needs, goals, and preferences, and she adapts the plan over time as progress and priorities evolve.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility - sessions can take place by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging - which makes it easier to fit consistent care into a busy life or to connect from different locations. These options support ongoing access to therapy and allow clients to choose the format that feels most comfortable for them.