About Shelley
Shelley Akerman is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) practicing in Georgia with 11 years of experience. She brings a calm, down-to-earth style to sessions and aims to make therapy feel approachable. Shelley focuses on helping people manage everyday stress and longer-term struggles like anxiety and depression.
Shelley trained at Mercer University, where she earned a master’s degree, and has worked in both outpatient and hospital settings. That range gives her experience with many kinds of concerns and life stages.
Background and approach
She talks with people about grief, trauma and abuse, addictions, and complicated relationship or family issues. Her approach is warm and practical. Shelley listens first and helps people set concrete, manageable goals.
She uses easy-to-follow tools and plans so progress feels clear rather than vague or overwhelming. Shelley draws on several therapy styles to match a person’s needs. She often borrows ideas from cognitive behavioral methods, mindfulness practices, and client-centered listening.
Motivational interviewing and narrative work are used when they suit the goal. Sessions are offered by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different schedules. Shelley also works with issues such as ADHD, self-esteem, intimacy-related concerns, parenting strain, and compassion fatigue.
She aims to help people build steadier coping skills and clearer next steps.
Therapy Methods and How They Work Online
Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and understanding your perspective. The therapist offers empathy and reflection so you can clarify what matters and set goals that feel realistic.Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) looks at thoughts and behaviors that keep problems going. It uses practical exercises and small experiments to change unhelpful patterns, which can help with anxiety, depression, and stress.
Mindfulness therapy helps you notice present-moment experience without judgment. Simple mindfulness practices can reduce reactivity and support clearer choices during stressful moments.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. Shelley will talk with you about your needs, goals, and preferences and then try methods that fit. That means sessions may mix listening, CBT techniques, mindfulness practices, motivational interviewing questions, or narrative exercises depending on what helps most.
Online formats offer flexibility for busy lives. Video calls let you use visual cues and have a conversation close to an in-person meeting. Phone sessions need less bandwidth and work well when you prefer not to be on camera. Live chat or text-based messaging is useful for brief check-ins, between-session support, or fitting therapy into a tight schedule. These options make it easier to keep therapy consistent around work, school, caregiving, or travel.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Anger management
- Bipolar disorder
- Body image
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fertility issues
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- LGBT
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Parenting issues
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 11 years
- Licensed
- Georgia
- Languages
- English
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