About Me
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 15 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 12 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 and 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 and 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.
Specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
- Depression
- Coping with life changes
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 , Read more...
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
Services Offered
Messaging
Live Chat
Phone
Video
Licensing
LICSW #19752 (Expires: 2023-08-31)
Reviews
Shelly is an exceptional mental health provider. She’s knowledgeable, compassionate, and gets to the heart of the matter quickly.
Shelly has helped me understand so much about my feelings in a comprehensive way
Shelly has been a light in my darkest days. She truly cares about me and wants the best for me. She comes through for me and makes me a priority in her busy schedule. I’m so grateful for this platform!
Shelly is a lovely person who is very compassionate and understanding. She can see what’s happening and connect the dots with you in a way that makes things more objective and less overwhelming. I recommend her highly!
Shelly has been a wonderful source of support for me in a time that I needed it the most.
Shelley has been an awesome counselor for me thru a really hard time in my life. I frankly don't know what i would have done without her expert guidance. She's willing to listen endlessly and offer her thoughts . Also, to offer correction when I seem to be going down the wrong path! I really appreciate that in a professional.
I would have not have such an elaborate toolbox of coping skills if it hadn't been for a year of weekly sessions with Shelly. She helped me curate a strong sense of self!
Shelly is amazing. She’s compassionate and skilled. I am happy to be connected with her and know that she will be instrumental in my healing.
I've been working with Shelly for three weeks so far and I already feel so much better. She truly listens and makes me feel like my feelings are valid. This is my first time ever doing therapy and couldn't have asked for a better experience!
Shelly was truly amazing! She helped me work through several trust and communication issues that were impacting my ability to establish a keep healthy relationships. I could not recommend her enough!!
Ive been working with Shelley Foster for a couple months now. I would say that this service has done me an immeasurable amount of good, but I feel that would be a disservice. Because it is VERY quantifiable how much help this has provided me. Shelley does a great job of helping me make mental discoveries, and experience epiphanies, on my own. 5 star review.
Shelly has been huge help. I can talk to her without being judged.