- Trauma and grief
- Career and life changes
- Mindfulness and narrative
About Shirley
Shirley Ikenze is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in California with 26 years of experience helping people manage stress, anxiety, trauma and grief. She works with adults facing life changes, career uncertainty, parenting challenges, sleep problems, ADHD, and relationship strain. Shirley lists life purpose among her interests and supports people looking for clearer direction after big transitions.
She practices from a client-centered stance, which means she treats people as the experts on their own lives and listens first. Shirley uses approaches such as mindfulness, narrative techniques, motivational interviewing, and solution-focused work to help clients name priorities and take small, practical steps forward. Sessions emphasize clear goals and straightforward coping skills.
In a typical meeting she listens to what’s most pressing, helps sort immediate concerns, and offers short-term strategies for relief. She also helps people look at patterns from their past that affect current decisions and relationships. That can include exploring family of origin issues, abandonment, adoption and foster care topics, or caregiving stress.
Shirley also works with people dealing with serious life events like cancer, hospice and end-of-life concerns, divorce or separation, and loss. Her approach combines acceptance of client experience with practical planning for next steps, including career questions, commitment issues, and rebuilding self-esteem.
She practices in California and offers services in English. People who want to begin are asked to use the site button to view online therapy options and complete a short matching questionnaire to schedule a first session.
How Shirley's Approaches Translate to Online Work
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and reflecting what the person says so they can make their own decisions; it helps when someone feels stuck and needs to clarify values and next steps. Mindfulness Therapy uses simple attention exercises and grounding practices that reduce rumination and are useful for anxiety, stress, and sleep problems. Motivational Interviewing helps people resolve mixed feelings about change by gently exploring values and small, achievable actions.Choosing the best approach is part of the work. Shirley will collaborate with each person to decide which methods fit their needs and goals. That might mean starting with short solution-focused steps, then using narrative or mindfulness tools to support longer-term change.
The biography does not list specific session formats, so confirm current options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into busy schedules, shorten check-ins when time is limited, or avoid travel to appointments. It also allows use of mindfulness exercises, goal-setting worksheets, and narrative work in ways that can continue between meetings.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
26+ years
Listed in
California
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she help with?
She helps adults with trauma and abuse, grief, stress, anxiety, depression, ADHD, sleep problems, parenting strain, and career or life change questions.
How would she describe her therapeutic style?
She uses a client-centered approach and draws on mindfulness, motivational interviewing, narrative and solution-focused techniques to set goals and find practical steps.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 26 years of professional experience working with adults on a range of issues including trauma, grief, caregiving stress, and family of origin concerns.
What are her credentials and where does she practice?
She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) licensed in California and practices in that state.
Does she work in other languages or with international clients?
Sessions are offered in English. She is not accepting international clients at this time.
What session formats are available?
The original biography does not specify session formats. Please confirm current session options before booking via the online therapy options button.
How are fees and billing handled?
Cost varies with location; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Use the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger, use the crisis numbers.