Shirley Butler, LCSW

Shirley Butler is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) based in Montana with 23 years of experience in the mental health field. A 63-year-old Native American practitioner, she blends decades of community mental health work and Tribal Behavioral Health experience with the steady focus of a clinician who has maintained a private practice since 2013. Her background includes crisis on-call rotations as well as regular office-based therapy, giving her a wide-ranging perspective on acute and ongoing care.

She holds a Bachelor of Human Services Rehabilitation (1998) from Salish Kootenai College on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Pablo, MT, and a Master of Social Work (MSW) from Walla Walla University in Missoula, MT (2004). After completing three thousand supervised clinical hours, she qualified to sit for the clinical license exam. Shirley is also trained in EMDR - Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing - an approach that can support recovery from post-traumatic stress and other disturbing experiences.

Shirley values building rapport and an alliance of trust and safety, and she collaborates with each client to develop a tailored treatment plan. Her practice addresses stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, depression, relationship and family concerns, grief, parenting, anger, career challenges, bipolar disorder, and related issues such as abandonment, codependency, communication problems, and self-love. She welcomes clients from diverse backgrounds and accepts international clients, providing services in English.

Approach-Focused Online Therapy with Shirley Butler

Shirley draws from several well-established approaches to tailor online care to each client's needs. Attachment-Based Therapy explores how early relationships shape present-day patterns and helps people improve connection and emotional safety in relationships. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes the client as the expert on their own life - the therapist offers nonjudgmental presence, empathy, and support to help clients find their own direction. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying and adjusting unhelpful thoughts and behaviors to reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process, and Shirley collaborates with clients to determine which methods fit best with their goals, preferences, and circumstances. She prioritizes building rapport and developing a treatment plan together so the work feels relevant and manageable.

Online therapy with Shirley can take place via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging, offering flexibility for busy schedules, travel, or clients living outside Montana. These options make it easier to maintain consistency in care while accessing licensed professionals who can adapt methods for remote sessions.