Shirley Souder

Shirley Souder is a licensed marriage and family therapist and licensed clinical social worker in Indiana with 43 years of experience. She blends practical, down-to-earth conversation with faith-informed perspectives when clients request that element. Sessions focus on concrete changes people can make now to reduce stress, manage anger, and improve relationships. Her approach draws on reality-based questions about behavior and choice. Shirley asks what people are doing now, what they want to change, and what steps feel realistic. She pairs that with Christian Counseling tools when clients want to bring spiritual resources into problem solving. Shirley helps people talk through common concerns such as anxiety, grief, parenting strain, and the fallout of trauma and abuse. She also addresses work-related stress, addiction-related patterns, low self-esteem, and intimacy-related difficulties. Emotional forgiveness skills are a frequent focus when past hurt is holding someone back. Practical life skills are part of sessions. Shirley can work on job interview preparation, healthier routines, and ways to handle difficult people. Her methods emphasize small, doable steps rather than abstract theory. With a long career in Indiana, she combines clinical knowledge with life experience. People who prefer an explicitly faith-informed lens can request that element as part of care. Prospective clients are invited to consider whether this practical, choice-focused style matches what they need.

How Shirley’s approaches translate to online care

Shirley uses an approach that focuses on choices and practical change alongside relational work. Attachment-Based Therapy centers on how relationships shape feelings and behaviors and can help when trust, connection, or communication are causing distress. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions and offers concrete tools for managing anxiety, anger, and unhelpful patterns. Finding the right approach is part of the work. Shirley will collaborate with each person to decide which methods fit their needs and goals. That conversation is ongoing, so plans can change as progress is made and priorities shift. The main practical benefit of online therapy is fitting sessions into a busy life. Many people find it easier to schedule regular meetings without travel time, which helps keep momentum on behavior change and skill practice. If you prefer a faith-informed emphasis, that preference can be included in sessions. Because the biography does not list specific session formats, confirm current options before booking so you know how Shirley is meeting with clients.