Shirley is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in our South Charlotte office. Prior to becoming a therapist, she worked as a Human Resource Manager for a biopharmaceutical company in Southern California, and found that she enjoyed coaching employees through difficult circumstances. Wanting to ultimately support the individual rather than represent a corporation, she went back to school to earn her Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from California Lutheran University. After becoming licensed she joined a private practice in Southern California. In preparation to move to North Carolina, Shirley went through an additional licensure process to procure a license here.

Shirley enjoys working with adults, both as individuals and as couples. With individuals she often uses Cognitive Behavioral tools to change the automatic negative thinking patterns that prevent relationships from flourishing and intensify conditions such as anxiety and depression. She is excited about the science of neuroplasticity, or the ability of the brain to create new pathways as we change our patterns of thinking. Enduring change is within our reach!

Shirley usually finds that a conflicted couple is comprised of two good people with a difficult dynamic that has grown between them. She assists couples in deconstructing the dynamic and nurturing empathy and understanding. She also likes the opportunity to do premarital counseling, allowing a couple to build on their strengths and prepare for their challenges in preparation for marriage.

Life can become very transactional, especially under stress. Shirley likes to help clients look underneath the surface to rediscover the values that make them unique and to help them restore a sense of integrity and wholeness. Counseling from a Christian worldview is available if requested.