Shama Joshi, LCSW - Therapist in Illinois

Guilt and shame focus
ACT and CBT methods
Adult ADHD support

About Shama

Shama Joshi is an Illinois LCSW with nine years of clinical experience. She works with adults who are carrying stress, anxiety, depression, relationship pain, ADHD, or dealing with major life changes. Shama focuses on helping people who feel stuck by painful memories, identity worries, or difficult relationship patterns.

She uses clear, practical methods in sessions. That can mean noticing how thoughts and behaviors keep problems going, learning new ways to communicate, and building everyday coping skills. Conversations look at how family background, adoption or foster experiences, caregiving roles, and cultural identity shape what someone feels guilty or ashamed about.

Shama names attachment and relationship patterns directly, and she helps clients untangle those patterns from present stress. She also works with issues tied to aging, autism spectrum traits, personality-related concerns, blended family adjustments, body image, and the challenges of divorce or separation.

Her style is collaborative and client-centered. Sessions aim to clarify what matters to the client, test workable changes, and practice new skills between meetings. Techniques draw from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy when those fit the person’s goals.

People seeking help with ADHD-related coping, commitment or control problems, codependency, communication difficulties, or the emotional fallout of caregiving may find her approach relevant. Shama provides therapy in English for adults based in Illinois and uses a matching process to begin work.

How her approaches translate to online work

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) encourages noticing uncomfortable thoughts and choosing actions that match personal values. It can help with persistent guilt by shifting focus toward meaningful choices rather than trying to eliminate difficult feelings. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at how thoughts and behaviors reinforce one another and provides practical tools to test and change patterns that sustain anxiety, depression, or shame. Attachment-Based Therapy pays attention to relationship histories and current patterns of closeness or distance, which is useful when guilt or shame comes from family or early caregiving experiences.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with the client to decide which methods fit their goals and preferences, and she will adjust strategies as those goals evolve. Clients can expect a mix of conversation, skill practice, and reflections to try between sessions.

The biography does not specify which online session formats are offered, so confirm available formats before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, shorten check-ins when time is tight, or allow sessions without travel time. Licensed professionals often use the same therapeutic tools online as in person, adapting exercises and homework to each person's daily life and constraints.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Stress, AnxietyRelationship issuesDepression Coping with life changes ADHD

Additional focus areas

Adoption and foster careAging and geriatric issuesAntisocial personalityAttachment issues Autism and Asperger SyndromeAvoidant personalityBlended family issues Body image Caregiver issues and stress Codependency Commitment issuesCommunication problemsControl issuesCoping with natural or human-caused disasterDivorce and separationEating and food-related issuesEmptinessFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsFatherhood issuesFertility issuesForgivenessGuilt and shameImmigration issuesImpulsivityInfidelity Isolation / loneliness Jealousy Life purpose Money and financial issues Multicultural concerns Panic disorder and panic attacksPostpartum depressionPost-traumatic stressPregnancy and childbirthPrejudice and discriminationSeasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-loveWomen's issuesWorkplace issues Young adult issues

Therapeutic approaches

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)Attachment-Based TherapyClient-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)Gottman MethodMindfulness TherapySolution-Focused TherapySomatic TherapyTrauma-Focused TherapyInternal Family Systems

Experience

9+ years

Listed in

Illinois

Languages

English

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of problems does she help with?

She works with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, coping with life changes, and ADHD, plus related issues like adoption and foster care or caregiver stress.

How does she approach feelings of guilt or shame?

Her work draws on acceptance-based and cognitive methods to notice shame and test different responses, and she links those feelings to relationship and attachment patterns.

How much experience does she have?

She has nine years of clinical experience as a licensed social worker working with adults on emotional and relational concerns.

What are her credentials and where does she practice?

She is an LCSW licensed in Illinois and practices with clients who are located in that state.

Does she offer sessions in other languages or to international clients?

Sessions are offered in English. International clients are not currently accepted.

What session formats are available?

The biography does not list specific session formats; please confirm current session options before booking.

How does pricing work?

Cost varies by location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.

What should I do to start working with her?

Select the See online therapy options button, complete the 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.