Dr. Andrea Shirley

Dr. Andrea Shirley is a California licensed marriage and family therapist with 27 years of clinical experience. She supports people who are coping with stress, anxiety, anger, grief, and relationship or family challenges. She emphasizes a respectful, direct approach that centers each person's strengths and goals.

Andrea works from the view that clients are the experts on their own lives. She asks questions that help people tell their stories and notice patterns that no longer serve them. Together they set small, doable goals and track progress visit to visit.

Her practice uses methods that help people rewrite difficult chapters in their lives. Narrative Therapy helps separate a person from the problem so they can redefine themselves. Solution-Focused Therapy narrows attention to practical steps that lead to quick changes and stronger coping.

She also brings trauma-focused approaches when past events continue to affect daily functioning. That work aims to reduce overwhelm and build manageable ways to face memories, triggers, and painful emotions.

Sessions are collaborative and paced to each person. Andrea supports people through life changes such as career transitions, caregiving strain, adoption and foster care concerns, chronic illness, and issues tied to identity and intimacy. Her aim is to help clients build clearer choices and more reliable ways to meet their needs.

Therapeutic approaches and online care that fit your life

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and understanding a person's experience without judgment. This approach helps people feel heard, build self-trust, and choose the changes that matter most to them.

Narrative Therapy helps people separate themselves from the problems they face. By retelling and re-framing life stories, clients can find new meanings and options when dealing with identity, relationship, or anger issues.

Finding the right therapeutic approach is part of the process. The therapist works with each person to decide whether a listening-based approach, a narrative re-framing, or short-term solution work best for current goals. That choice is collaborative and may shift as progress is made.

If you plan to pursue online therapy, confirm the specific session formats before booking since the biography does not list them. Online work can make sessions easier to fit into a busy week, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and reduce travel time. Talking through practical steps and tracking small changes can happen effectively over remote sessions when the approach and scheduling match your needs.