About Shirley
Shirley Ikenze uses a client-centered approach to make therapy feel personal and understandable. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 26 years of experience and offers straightforward support for stress, anxiety, trauma, grief, and life transitions. She helps people identify their strengths and build on what already works in their lives.
Sessions focus on practical steps and clear goals rather than jargon. Shirley helps clients find ways to cope better with parenting demands, career strain, sleep problems, and feelings of low self-esteem.
How Shirley works
Her background includes long experience supporting people through loss, abandonment, adoption and foster care issues, and family problems. She also addresses caregiver stress, aging and geriatric concerns, cancer-related challenges, and end-of-life and hospice matters. Those facing divorce, blended family stress, or fatherhood issues can work on manageable plans and communication strategies.
Shirley uses mindfulness and narrative tools to help people notice thoughts and tell their stories differently. She draws on solution-focused and motivational methods to set achievable steps and keep momentum. The work is collaborative - the client’s priorities guide each session.
Sessions are available in English and are offered online through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. Shirley practices in California as a CA LCSW and aims to support steady, practical change over time.
Shirley lists 5 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
- Abandonment
- ADHD
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Blended family issues
- Cancer
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Coaching
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Family conflicts
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Multicultural concerns
- Parenting issues
- Post-traumatic stress
- Postpartum depression
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Sleeping disorders
- Stress, Anxiety
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Women's issues
- Young adult issues
Training and background
| Register | LCSW |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 26 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | California |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
Approach-focused online care and flexible session options
Client-centered therapy invites the therapist to follow the client’s lead and focus on what matters most to the individual. It helps when someone wants sessions shaped around their own goals, strengths, and pace. Mindfulness therapy teaches simple attention skills to reduce reactivity and manage stress, which can be useful for anxiety, sleep issues, and coping with loss. Motivational interviewing uses respectful questions to clarify why change matters and to build commitment to small, achievable steps.Finding the right combination of approaches is part of the work. The therapist collaborates with each person to choose methods that match their concerns, goals, and comfort level. Plans are adjusted as progress is made so sessions stay relevant and useful.
Online therapy offers practical flexibility. Video calls let people hold fuller conversations when a face-to-face feel is preferred. Phone sessions can fit into a short break or work better when bandwidth is limited. Live chat and text-based messaging are helpful for quick check-ins, brief coaching, or when writing feels easier than speaking. These options make it easier to keep therapy consistent around busy days and changing schedules.
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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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