About Shawn
Shawn Strohfus is a licensed clinical social worker who helps people manage anxiety, stress, depression, bipolar mood shifts, and self-esteem struggles. She offers a calm, nonjudgmental presence and aims to build trust so clients can talk honestly about what’s hard. Shawn focuses on practical steps to reduce distress and find clearer direction.
Shawn believes change grows from a dependable working relationship. She works side by side with clients to develop small, doable skills that fit daily life.
Background and approach
Sessions emphasize seeing patterns, practicing new ways of coping, and adjusting strategies when they don’t fit. Her approach is collaborative and down-to-earth. Shawn listens for what matters most and helps people set goals they can actually use.
She keeps language simple and explains why certain exercises might help. Shawn has 11 years of experience as a licensed clinical social worker, LCSW, practicing in California. Over that time she has supported people with mood disorders, attachment concerns, workplace stress, caregiver strain, and phobias among other concerns.
Her background gives her a range of ways to respond when problems shift or return. Many clients work on improving communication, managing control and commitment issues, and recovering from relationship breaks like divorce or separation. Shawn also helps with codependency, forgiveness work, and finding life purpose.
She adapts sessions to the person’s pace and needs, focusing on steady progress rather than quick fixes.
How evidence-based techniques translate to online care
Shawn draws on evidence-based therapeutic techniques that focus on skills and patterns. One approach centers on teaching concrete coping skills to manage anxiety and stress, such as breathing, grounding, and step-by-step exposure for specific fears like phobias. These tools help reduce immediate distress and build confidence in handling triggers.Another common focus is mood management for depression and bipolar-related shifts. This involves tracking mood patterns, creating activity plans to increase positive routines, and practicing communication strategies to reduce conflict and isolation. These steps aim to stabilize daily rhythms and improve decision making.
Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Shawn works with each person to choose which techniques to try first, adjusts plans based on what helps, and teaches ways to apply skills between sessions. This partnership keeps goals realistic and aligned with the client’s life and preferences.
Online sessions offer practical flexibility. Video calls let therapist and client connect face to face when visual cues matter. Phone sessions can be a lower-bandwidth option or easier during busy days. Live chat and text-based messaging let people check in, receive brief coaching, or keep momentum between longer sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work and family schedules while using methods that are useful for phobias, mood issues, and everyday stress.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Self esteem
- Bipolar disorder
Also listed
- Experience
- 11 years
- Licensed
- California
- Languages
- English
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