- 30 years experience
- Focus on relationships
- Values-based care
About Amy
Amy Shafer is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 30 years of experience. She uses practical, person-focused methods to help people manage stress, anxiety, grief, depression, and life changes. Amy works with adults and older adults, and she draws on long experience supporting people through loss, trauma, and relationship struggles.
She trained at San Diego State University where she earned a Master of Social Work, following degrees in Psychology and Human Development from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Amy has practiced in many settings over three decades, gaining experience with a wide range of concerns including caregiving stress, chronic illness, addiction, and family-of-origin issues.
In sessions she focuses on relationship patterns, communication problems, and practical problem solving. She uses approaches that help people notice thoughts and feelings, build clearer boundaries, and choose actions that match their values. Amy often helps people deal with grief and transitions after major life events or disasters.
Her work pays close attention to family systems and interpersonal recovery. Amy offers tools aimed at improving day-to-day functioning, sleep, and intimacy-related concerns while addressing compassion fatigue and caregiver strain. She also supports LGBT people navigating relationship and identity stress.
If you want to begin, use the site's Start Therapy button to complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule based on availability. Confirm current session options with the service before booking.
How therapeutic approaches guide online work
Amy uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help people notice painful thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them. ACT emphasizes choosing actions that reflect personal values, which can be useful for managing anxiety, grief, and life transitions.She also draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify unhelpful thinking patterns and practice small behavior changes. CBT techniques can help with sleep, mood, and stress by teaching concrete skills to change daily routines and reactions.
Finding the right approach is part of the process. Amy will work collaboratively to match methods to a person's goals and preferences. Together they review what’s working and adjust the approach over time so sessions stay useful.
The biography does not list specific online formats. Confirm current session options before booking. In general, online therapy can make it easier to fit appointments into busy days, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when schedules are tight. It can also reduce the need for high-bandwidth connections if a phone check-in is preferred, and it supports continuity of care after major events or disasters when getting to an office may be difficult.
Areas of expertise
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
30+ years
Credentials
California
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does Amy help with?
Amy helps people cope with stress, anxiety, grief, depression, and life changes. She also supports concerns like addiction, family conflict, trauma and sleep problems.
What is her therapeutic style like?
Her style is practical and person-focused. She combines acceptance and mindfulness strategies with cognitive and emotion-focused work to help people act in ways that match their values.
How much experience does she have?
She brings 30 years of clinical experience working in many settings and with a wide range of issues. That background informs her approach to complex life and relationship problems.
What credentials and region are listed?
She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LCSW, licensed in California. Her professional training includes a Master of Social Work from San Diego State University.
Which languages are supported and can international clients work with her?
Sessions are offered in English. International clients are not currently accepted.
What session formats are available?
The original biography does not specify session formats. Please confirm current session options with the service before booking.
How is cost handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability. Sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Use the Start Therapy button on the site, complete the short matching questionnaire, and then schedule according to therapist availability.