About Gretchen
Gretchen Shay is a licensed clinical social worker who helps people manage stress and anxiety. She brings 14 years of experience working with depression, addiction, relationship strain, grief, and parenting concerns. Her tone is warm and respectful, and she focuses on practical steps people can use day to day.
She listens first and then helps set clear, achievable goals. Sessions are conversational and collaborative. She avoids labels and meets each person where they are.
Background and approach
Gretchen uses familiar methods like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to spot unhelpful thinking and change behavior. She also draws on Client-Centered Therapy to keep the work focused on each person's values and choices. Emotionally-Focused Therapy is used when relationship or attachment issues are central to the concern.
Her background includes long experience with addiction, family dynamics, body image and chronic medical issues, including supporting caregivers through illness and loss. She has worked across a wide range of life stages and situations and adapts plans to fit each person. Sessions can help people cope with life changes, manage cravings, repair relationships, and build self-esteem.
Gretchen aims to make therapy practical and usable so people can try new skills between sessions. She encourages steady progress and honest conversation.
How therapy approaches translate to online care
Gretchen commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Client-Centered Therapy in her online work. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing new behaviors to reduce anxiety and depression. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes listening, empathy, and supporting each person to make their own choices and goals.She approaches the choice of method collaboratively. Early sessions focus on what matters most to the client and what feels achievable. Together they decide whether CBT tools, emotionally focused work, or a mix of methods will best address the goals.
Online sessions are offered through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to make therapy fit daily life. Video lets people work face to face when possible. Phone sessions use less bandwidth and can fit into a work break. Live chat and text messaging work well for brief check-ins, skill practice, or when writing feels easier than speaking. These options make it simpler to keep momentum and try new skills between sessions.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Family conflicts
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Attachment issues
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Cancer
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Dependent personality
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Hoarding
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Infidelity
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Parenting issues
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Trichotillomania
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 14 years
- Licensed
- Alabama, Illinois
- Languages
- English
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