Therapist profile
Dr. Andrea Shirley, LMFT
Dr. Andrea Shirley, LMFT - Family and relationship concerns
Continue with AndreaAbout
- Stress and anxiety
- Narrative and client-centered
- Grief and trauma
About Andrea
Dr. Andrea Shirley is a California licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) with 27 years of clinical experience. She helps adults manage stress, anxiety, relationship strain, family tensions, grief, trauma, and a wide range of life changes. She also works with people facing issues around intimacy, sleep, anger, career stress, and concerns related to LGBT identities.
Andrea uses straightforward conversation to help people sort their priorities and find steps that fit everyday life. She treats clients as experts on their own story and looks for strengths to build on. Sessions focus on practical goals and short-term strategies when those are helpful.
Her approach draws on client-centered work that centers the person’s experience and narrative therapy that looks at the stories people tell about themselves. She also uses solution-focused methods to set clear, doable steps and trauma-focused techniques when past events interfere with daily functioning.
Andrea has supported people through many specific situations, including adoption and foster care questions, blended family issues, caregiver stress, chronic illness, and separation or divorce. She pays attention to attachment, abandonment, and commitment concerns that often show up inside family relationships.
People who book with her can expect calm, direct conversations that focus on what needs to change now. She encourages small experiments and checks progress as work continues. For anyone unsure how to begin, she asks a few practical questions and helps pick the next concrete step.
How sessions work
How her approaches translate to online work
Client-centered therapy focuses on the person’s experience and priorities. Online sessions using this approach tend to start with what matters most right now and build on the client’s own strengths to set goals and next steps.Narrative therapy helps people notice the stories they tell about themselves and change the parts that cause harm. Online meetings can be used to reflect on those stories, try different perspectives, and practice new ways of talking about problems between sessions.
Solution-focused therapy emphasizes clear, small steps toward change. In remote sessions this often looks like defining one or two achievable actions to try before the next meeting and then reviewing what worked.
Finding the right combination of approaches is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with the client to identify which methods feel most useful based on needs, goals, and preferences. That may mean mixing client-centered conversation, narrative exploration, and solution-focused planning over time.
The biography does not list specific session formats, so confirm the current online options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, shorten check-ins when needed, and allow people to continue work without traveling. Licensed professionals can use remote sessions to carry out the same kinds of conversational exercises and planning they use in person, with a focus on practical progress rather than lengthy theory.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
27+ years
Listed in
California
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does she address?
She works with stress, anxiety, relationship strain, family tensions, grief, trauma, intimacy issues, sleep problems, anger, career stress, and related concerns listed in her specialties.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
She uses client-centered conversation, narrative therapy, solution-focused techniques, and trauma-informed approaches to set practical steps and examine personal stories.
How much experience does she have?
She has 27 years of professional experience working with adults on family and relationship related concerns.
What credential does she hold and where is she based?
She is a California LMFT, licensed in California.
Does she work in other languages or with international clients?
Sessions are offered in English and she does not accept international clients at this time.
What session formats are available?
The original biography does not list specific session formats; please confirm current session options before booking.
How much do sessions cost?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I get started with a first session?
Click the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session through the site.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If anyone is in danger, use the crisis numbers.