Shirley Southard, LCMHC

Shirley Southard is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) with 20 years in human services. She helps people facing stress, anxiety, addiction, anger, depression, ADHD, relationship and family concerns, trauma and abuse, grief, parenting strains, and life transitions. Her work often focuses on practical steps people can take to feel steadier and more hopeful.

Shirley aims for a warm, nonjudgmental environment where people can talk and feel heard. She listens closely and helps clients set small, realistic goals. Her way of working includes clear, down-to-earth conversation and education about how thoughts and behaviors affect feelings.

Her background spans mental health, developmental disability services, and substance abuse care. She has experience with assisted medication management and supporting active military members and their families. That mix gives her familiarity with addiction, mood disorders, and the stresses that come with major life changes.

Shirley uses approaches such as Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Mindfulness Therapy. She often blends these to match a person’s needs and goals rather than relying on a single method.

She holds a master’s degree in counseling and is an NC LCMHC. Shirley works with individuals and children and has supported people through divorce, single parenting, grief, and women’s issues. Her focus is helping people make changes that let them look toward the future with more hope.

How Shirley’s approaches translate to online care

Shirley commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Motivational Interviewing, and she also draws on Client-Centered Therapy. CBT focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing new behaviors to reduce distress, which can help with anxiety, depression, and panic symptoms. Motivational Interviewing helps people find their own reasons to change, which is useful for addictions and building commitment to goals. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes listening and acceptance to help people feel understood and to build trust.

Finding the right mix of these approaches is part of the early work. Shirley collaborates with each person to choose methods that match their needs, goals, and preferences. She adjusts techniques over time so sessions remain practical and focused on what the person wants to achieve.

The practical benefits of working with a licensed professional online include fitting sessions into a busy life and keeping momentum between appointments. Because formats for this profile are not specified, confirm current session options before booking. Many people find online-focused work helps maintain regular meetings, allows shorter check-ins when needed, and makes attending therapy easier around work, school, and caregiving responsibilities.