About Shirley
Shirley Cayko is a licensed clinical social worker with 18 years of practice in Montana. She focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety, depression, bipolar symptoms, and the aftermath of trauma or abuse. Shirley emphasizes respect and sensitivity in her work and aims to meet each person where they are.
Her approach is practical and conversation-based. She listens first and then tailors the plan to the issues you bring. That might include strategies to build self-esteem, ways to cope with major life changes, or tools to handle anger and relationship concerns.
How Shirley works
Shirley also supports people facing grief, caregiving strain, chronic illness, and end-of-life issues. She works with concerns related to gender dysphoria, LGBT matters, immigration stress, and the emotional effects of cancer. Her background includes experience with dissociation, avoidant personality patterns, and problems with communication.
Sessions often blend client-centered listening with cognitive and behavioral techniques. Mindfulness and dialectical skills are used when helpful to manage intense emotion or improve daily functioning. Shirley adjusts methods to match what each person needs rather than following a fixed script.
When someone reaches out, she helps them identify practical next steps and goals. The emphasis is on usable skills and steady progress, not quick fixes. Shirley aims to create a calm, respectful space where people can talk through difficult moments and build better routines.
Shirley lists 7 ways of working on the entry:
What Shirley works with
The areas below are the ones Shirley selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
Also listed
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Avoidant personality
- Bipolar disorder
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Communication problems
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Emptiness
- Family problems
- Gender dysphoria
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Immigration issues
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- LGBT
- Life purpose
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Post-traumatic stress
- Postpartum depression
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Relationship issues
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Workplace issues
Training and background
| Register | LCSW |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 18 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | Montana |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
Therapeutic approaches and online care
Shirley uses client-centered therapy, which focuses on listening and understanding your perspective so sessions follow the concerns you bring. This approach helps people feel heard and shapes goals from their values and needs.She also uses cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to identify unhelpful thoughts and build practical skills for mood and anxiety management. CBT is useful for depression, anxiety, and many everyday stressors where changing patterns of thinking can ease symptoms.
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) skills are employed when emotion regulation or intense reactions are a problem. DBT offers concrete tools for handling strong feelings, improving relationships, and reducing impulsive behaviors.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. Shirley will talk with clients about their goals and try methods that fit their situation. That collaborative process means techniques can be adjusted over time based on what helps most.
Online therapy offers several practical benefits. Video calls let people have a full conversation with visual cues. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth or camera use is limited. Live chat and text-based messaging allow for shorter check-ins, flexible scheduling, and written reflections between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life and to continue progress from anywhere in Montana where the therapist is licensed.
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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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