After being successful for 17 years in corporate America, I made the drastic decision to change careers and follow my passion. This lead to my attending graduate school 19 years ago and obtaining my Master’s degree in Clinical Social Work. I am licensed in the state of Minnesota as a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker and have worked in the field of mental health for the past 15+ years.
I have had the privilege of providing therapy to individuals, couples, and families – adolescents and adults struggling with mood disorders, anxiety, trauma, family conflict, attachment, relationship issues, and life transitions. In addition, I have experience in crisis risk assessment, suicide ideation, training coping skills, and providing psycho-education.
I have experience providing therapeutic services to individuals from various socio-economic backgrounds in both urban and rural settings. This has included providing mental health services to homeless young adults in a large urban setting, doing in-home family counseling in a rural community, providing family and individual therapy in a suburban mental health clinic, and assessing suicide risk in a hospital emergency department. What I have found is at the heart of all individuals regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, social status, gender identity, or sexual orientation is the desire to live their best lives.
I believe we are all experts on ourselves. We may not fully understand why we feel the way we do, what our next steps should be, or how to deal with a particular situation. I believe my role as a therapist is to come along side whoever I am working with to help them in discovering the answers to these questions and assisting them in reaching their goals. I do this by listening, really listening, so I can truly understand. I think the relationship between the therapist and individual is of primary importance. Therapy should be a partnership between the client and therapist. There has to be trust in the relationship. My goal is to provide a safe and non-judgmental place where each person feels heard, understood, supported, and helped.
I believe each person is multi-dimensional with his or her own reasons for seeking out help. I work towards customizing my therapy for the individual and their particular needs. I am trained in and pull from several different therapeutic models; Cognitive Behavior, Dialectical Behavior, Solution Focused, Psychodynamic, Trauma Focused, and Mindfulness among other modalities. Again, I believe the relationship between therapist and individual is crucial to the success of any therapeutic model.
In addition to my training and education in the mental health field I bring life experience and humor to the work I do with individuals. I believe humor is one of our greatest resources. I personally have experienced challenges and transitions in my own life. My philosophy is that life is like floating down a river on a raft. Sometimes the river is calm and the sun is shining down on us while we just bask in the rays. What we don’t know is what is around the next bend in the river. We may be facing rocks, rapids, and turbulence. The goal is to just stay on the raft no matter what is coming next.
Thank you for taking the time to read my profile. If I sound like the type of counselor/therapist you are looking for, I would love to work with you. If not, it is my hope that you find the best fit to address your needs.
Additional areas of focus: LGBT, Family conflicts, Grief, Intimacy-related issues, Parenting issues, Anger management, Self esteem, Career difficulties, Bipolar disorder, Compassion fatigue, Attachment issues, Caregiver issues and stress, Codependency, Communication problems, Control issues, Coping with natural or human-caused disaster, Divorce and separation, Domestic violence, Family of origin issues, Family problems, Guilt and shame, Isolation / loneliness, Life purpose, Midlife crisis, Mood disorders, Multicultural concerns, Panic disorder and panic attacks, Post-traumatic stress, Prejudice and discrimination, Self-harm, Self-love, Sexual assault and abuse, Social anxiety and phobia, Women's issues, Workplace issues
Clinical approaches: Attachment-Based Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT), Mindfulness Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Narrative Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, Trauma-Focused Therapy
MN LICSW 19752
These quotes represent just a few of the many positive reviews that we have received for Shelly Foster. We don't pay anyone to provide their review and they are all made voluntarily. Some people's experience receiving therapy with BetterHelp might be different.
Shelly is, in my opinion, one of the best out there. She will give you many ways to cope with what is bothering you and always listen to what you have to say. She is kind and caring.
Written on May 07, 2025 after therapy with Shelly for 3 months on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, self esteem, and career difficulties
Shelly is compassionate, experienced, and a great listener. Her background gives her a wide variety of experiences to relate to. She is professional, courteous and sufficiently manages the virtual platform and multiple modes of communication.
Written on May 01, 2025 after therapy with Shelly for 3 months on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, grief, and coping with life changes
I love Shelly!
Written on Oct 23, 2024 after therapy with Shelly for 4 years and 3 months on issues concerning family conflicts
Shelly is very reliable and a great therapist.
Written on Nov 18, 2023 after therapy with Shelly for 3 years and 7 months on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, addictions, relationship issues, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, grief, intimacy-related issues, sleeping disorders, self esteem, career difficulties, and coping with life changes
Good listener, smart, accepting, and good at recommending! The books we’ve worked through are very enlightening.
Written on Oct 18, 2023 after therapy with Shelly for 9 months on issues concerning stress, anxiety, addictions, self esteem, and coping with life changes
Shelly Foster is a wonderful therapist. She listens, offers wisdom and tangible advice and I would recommend her services to anyone.
Written on Mar 08, 2023 after therapy with Shelly for 3 weeks on issues concerning stress, anxiety, relationship issues, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, grief, and coping with life changes