Shirley Southard, LCMHC

Shirley Southard brings two decades of experience in the human services field to her counseling work, with a background spanning mental health, developmental disabilities, and substance use treatment. She has supported clients across a range of settings, including assisted medication management and services for active military members and their families, and she has extensive experience addressing divorce, single-parenting, addictions, grief, women’s issues, and mood disorders. Her approach centers on offering a warm, nonjudgmental space where clients are truly heard and accepted as they are, creating room to explore the barriers that keep them from living the life they want.

Shirley holds a Master’s degree in Counseling and is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor - LCMHC. She also serves as a Licensed Substance Abuse Supervisor, and she uses evidence-informed methods such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Motivational Interviewing alongside psychoeducation to help clients build practical skills. Her particular passions include working with both adults and children to manage stress, anxiety, addiction, depression, trauma, relationship and family challenges, and life transitions. Shirley focuses on collaborative, respectful care that helps people make meaningful changes and look toward the future with renewed hope.

Therapeutic approaches for online care and support

Shirley integrates client-centered therapy into her online work, focusing on listening closely and building a respectful, accepting relationship so clients can explore their goals and challenges. This approach is helpful for people seeking a supportive environment to process life changes, grief, relationship issues, or emotional concerns.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - CBT - is used to identify unhelpful thoughts and patterns and to build practical skills for managing mood, anxiety, panic, and everyday stressors. CBT is goal-oriented and often includes homework and skill practice between sessions to reinforce progress.

Motivational Interviewing helps clients move through ambivalence about change by exploring values and strengthening personal motivation. It is especially useful for working with addictions, readiness for change, and situations where commitment to change can feel uncertain.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. Shirley works with each person to assess needs, goals, and preferences and adjusts methods over time so that therapy aligns with what is most useful and achievable for the client. Online therapy offers flexible ways to connect - through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging - making it easier to fit care into a busy life or to access support from different locations. Licensed professionals can deliver meaningful therapeutic work through these formats, helping clients build skills, manage symptoms, and pursue lasting change.