Shirley Louisor , LMHC, LPC

Shirley Louisor brings a practical, collaborative approach to counseling, helping people move forward through life's changes while maintaining a healthy mindset. She believes many answers emerge when individuals take purposeful steps and work through challenges with support, and she frames therapy as a partnership that helps clients reach their goals.

Shirley earned a master’s degree in counseling from Regent University in 2011 and holds professional credentials including Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC). She is also a National Certified Counselor (NCC) - a nationally recognized counseling certification - which complements her clinical licensure and training.

Working primarily in outpatient settings, Shirley has experience with individuals, families, couples, and children. Her background includes group facilitation, individual counseling, premarital and marital work, and services for adolescents and adults. She has worked in schools as a therapeutic day counselor, provided intensive in-home services for at-risk children and their families, and led support groups for people coping with depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder.

Her areas of focus include stress and anxiety, addictions, parenting and blended-family concerns, trauma and abuse, grief, intimacy and relationship issues, self-esteem, bipolar disorder, and coping with life changes. Shirley also attends to aging and geriatric concerns, caregiver stress, communication problems, multicultural issues, and experiences of prejudice and discrimination. She aims to tailor treatment collaboratively, meeting each person where they are and supporting practical steps toward meaningful change.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care

Shirley uses client-centered therapy to create a supportive space where the client’s perspective guides the work. This approach focuses on listening, empathy, and helping people identify their own strengths and goals, which can be especially useful for relationship concerns, self-esteem, and life transitions.

She also applies Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help clients identify and change unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns. CBT is practical and skills-focused, often used for anxiety, depression, stress, and coping with difficult emotions. Shirley may incorporate Motivational Interviewing when clients face ambivalence about change - this method supports intrinsic motivation and helps people clarify personal reasons for making changes, which can be effective for addictions and behavioral goals.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic journey, and Shirley works collaboratively with each person to determine which methods best match their needs, goals, and preferences. She adapts techniques over time to support progress and to respond to what works for the individual.

Online sessions offer flexible ways to connect, including video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules, manage caregiving responsibilities, or continue care when in-person meetings are difficult. Licensed professionals can use these formats to provide consistent, effective support while accommodating each client’s circumstances.