- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Mindfulness Therapy
About Amy
Amy Shafer is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in California with 30 years of experience. She works with adults around depression, anxiety, stress, grief, relationship concerns, and issues that come with life changes. Amy also notes work related to trauma and abuse, caregiving strain, and challenges linked to aging.
Her practice focuses on family systems, relationships, and interpersonal recovery. She uses practical methods to help people manage day-to-day stressors and solve problems that get in the way of functioning. Sessions involve talking through situations, identifying patterns, and trying specific tools that fit a person's life.
Amy draws on approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Emotionally-Focused Therapy, and Mindfulness. She adapts techniques from these models to address concerns like abandonment, codependency, communication problems, and intimacy-related issues. This blend aims to make skills usable between sessions.
She has worked in many settings and with a wide range of ages, and more recently has focused on adults and older adults facing grief, chronic illness, caregiver stress, and family conflict. Amy describes helping people move through painful experiences and find ways to cope with both loss and ongoing stress.
To begin, she asks people to complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule an initial session. Her practice uses a subscription model that can be canceled at any time, and sessions reflect the concrete needs raised in early visits.
Therapeutic approaches used in online sessions
Amy uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help people notice difficult thoughts and feelings without getting swept away by them, and to identify values that guide small, manageable actions. ACT can be useful for anxiety, guilt, and coping with life transitions.She also draws from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to spot unhelpful thinking patterns and test new behaviors. CBT often helps with depression, anxiety, sleep issues, and coping strategies for stress. Client-Centered Therapy is part of her approach too, focusing on listening and shaping sessions around what the client brings that day.
Finding the right approach is often part of the work. Amy will collaborate with each person to choose methods that fit their goals and preferences. Together they will try techniques, check what helps, and adjust the plan as needed.
The biography does not list specific session formats, so confirm current online options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, shorten check-ins when time is limited, or avoid travel. Licensed professionals can also use online sessions to practice skills between meetings and follow up more regularly when that helps progress.
Areas of expertise
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
30+ years
Listed in
California
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she work with?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, relationship and family issues, trauma and abuse, and related concerns such as caregiving stress and chronic illness.
How does she approach guilt or shame related issues?
Amy uses a mix of approaches including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and mindfulness to help people notice painful feelings, clarify values, and practice small behavioral steps.
What experience does she bring to sessions?
She has 30 years of clinical experience across many settings and age groups, with recent focus on adult and geriatric concerns including grief, trauma recovery, and family conflict.
What are her credentials and where does she practice?
She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) licensed in California and practices with clients based in that state.
Does she offer services in other languages or to international clients?
Sessions are offered in English and she is not currently accepting international clients.
What session formats are available?
Please confirm current session options before booking, as the biography does not specify formats used for sessions.
How does payment work?
Sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time and cost varies with location.
How do I begin working with her?
To start, select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, use the crisis numbers.