About Shelly
Shelly Scamardo helps people who are feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, or big life changes. She is a psychologist who focuses on practical steps people can use to manage mood and improve relationships. Her tone is warm and straightforward, aimed at people who want clear tools and steady support.
Shelly has practiced psychology for 21 years. She earned her degrees from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology, completing a doctorate in 2004 after earlier graduate work.
How Shelly works
Her background centers on understanding emotions and the ways people relate to others. In sessions she draws on a mix of approaches. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, psychodynamic ideas, and attachment-based work help her identify patterns that keep people stuck.
She also uses solution-focused techniques to build small, achievable changes fast. Therapy with Shelly emphasizes collaboration. She listens for what matters to each person and then uses that information to set clear goals.
Sessions often involve learning specific skills for coping, practicing new ways of communicating, and tracking progress between meetings. Shelly works with concerns such as depression, panic, obsessive thoughts, phobias, and post-traumatic stress. She also addresses relationship struggles, communication problems, control issues, body image, guilt, and the pain of separation.
Her approach balances understanding the past with concrete strategies for change. People who choose her can expect steady guidance and a focus on realistic steps toward feeling more confident and connected.
Shelly lists 5 ways of working on the entry:
What Shelly works with
The areas below are the ones Shelly selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
Also listed
- Attachment issues
- Body image
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Phobias
- Post-traumatic stress
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Training and background
| Register | IL Psychologist |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 21 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | Illinois |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
How Shelly's Approaches Translate to Online Care
Shelly often uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which focuses on spotting and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. CBT can help with anxiety, panic attacks, obsessive thinking, and mood problems by teaching practical coping skills that people can practice between sessions.She also uses Attachment-Based Therapy to look at how early patterns of relating affect current relationships. That work helps people see why they react a certain way and learn new ways to connect and communicate. Solution-Focused Therapy is another tool she uses to set short-term goals and build quick momentum toward change.
Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Shelly will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what has or hasn’t worked in the past. Together they decide which methods to try and adjust the plan as progress is made.
Online therapy offers flexible ways to meet work and life demands. Video calls let people use face-to-face conversation when a deeper discussion is needed. Phone sessions work well when bandwidth or a quieter setting is preferable. Live chat and text-based messaging are useful for shorter check-ins, troubleshooting, or steady support between longer sessions.
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Common questions
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A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
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