- Family of origin issues
- CBT and psychodynamic approaches
- Anger and grief work
About Shirley
Shirley Semel is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in California with eight years of clinical experience. She works with adults on common concerns such as stress, anxiety, relationship strain, grief, anger, depression, and addictions. Her background also includes family-related issues and helping people who are navigating parenting, intimacy concerns, and career stress.
She uses practical talk therapy to identify the patterns that keep people stuck. Sessions look at how early family roles and expectations still affect current choices and relationships. She helps clients name repeated behaviors and consider different responses that feel manageable.
Her experience includes running groups focused on anger management, domestic violence, and addiction relapse prevention. That group work informs how she structures sessions for people who need concrete skills and real-world practice. Shirley also supports clients dealing with blended family dynamics, caregiving stress, chronic illness, or separation and divorce.
In sessions she integrates several approaches depending on the client's goals. Client-Centered Therapy guides the focus on what matters most to the client. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy brings practical strategies to shift unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. Psychodynamic work helps uncover longstanding family-of-origin patterns that continue to influence relationships.
Shirley sees work with issues like codependency, commitment problems, communication difficulties, and isolation as part of everyday life changes many people face. She offers a straightforward, conversational style that combines problem solving with exploration of past influences. To begin, clients complete a short questionnaire and schedule an initial session to discuss goals and next steps.
How Shirley’s approaches translate to online work
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on the client's priorities. In practice it means the therapist follows what the client brings and helps clarify goals and values. This approach is useful for people who want a space to make sense of family patterns and current choices.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions. It offers specific exercises and experiments to reduce anxiety, manage mood, and change unhelpful behavior. CBT is often used for problems like worry, low mood, sleep issues, and anger management.
Finding the right approach is part of the work together. Shirley will talk with each client about what methods fit their needs and preferences. She helps set short-term goals and adjusts techniques as progress and challenges become clearer, so the plan evolves over time.
Confirm the session formats before booking since they are not listed here. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule, reduce travel time, or allow a quicker check-in during a break from work. Some formats need less bandwidth or do not require video, while others involve more structured weekly meetings. Discussing these practical options happens during the first scheduling steps so sessions match daily routines and goals.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
8+ years
Listed in
California
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she address?
She works with stress, anxiety, relationship problems, depression, addictions, grief, parenting, and related issues such as eating, sleeping, and intimacy concerns.
What is her general style in sessions?
She practices in a conversational, problem-focused way that combines exploring past influences with concrete skills to manage current problems.
How much experience does she have?
She has eight years of clinical experience as an LMFT practicing in California.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She holds the LMFT credential and is licensed in California.
In which language are sessions provided?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can international clients work with her?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
How do sessions work and what formats are offered?
Please confirm current session formats before booking, as the profile does not specify which formats are used.
How much do sessions cost and how do payments work?
Cost varies with location; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger, use the emergency numbers. Looking for someone else? Find them by surname.