- Client-centered
- Trauma-aware
- Goal-focused
About Andrea
Dr. Andrea Shirley is a licensed marriage and family therapist with 27 years of experience. She focuses on helping people who feel overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, sleeping difficulties, grief, or shifts in close relationships. She works with people who are wrestling with identity and LGBT concerns, career strain, or the lasting effects of trauma and abuse.
Her approach begins by treating the person as the expert in their own life. She listens for strengths and priorities, then helps build small, practical steps that fit into daily life. Sessions aim to clarify what matters most and to test simple strategies that can ease distress and improve rest.
Andrea draws on client-centered and narrative approaches to help people tell and reshape their stories. She also uses solution-focused and trauma-focused methods to identify immediate goals and to address painful experiences when needed. These approaches are described in straightforward terms and chosen to match each person’s needs.
Her work often centers on communication, boundary-setting, and coping skills that support better sleep and more predictable routines. She also helps people navigate family transitions, attachment and abandonment issues, and challenges related to adoption and caregiving.
Based in California, Andrea offers therapy in English. She encourages anyone considering therapy to reflect on what they want to change and to take a small next step toward scheduling a first meeting.
Approaches that translate to online care
Client-centered therapy focuses on the person's experience and priorities. Sessions give space to speak, be heard, and decide what small changes feel right. Narrative therapy helps people examine the stories they tell about themselves and try out different ways of understanding events and relationships. It can be helpful for identity, shame, and relationship patterns. Solution-focused therapy emphasizes practical steps and quick experiments that may improve sleep, reduce anxiety, or ease daily stress.Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, preferences, and what has or hasn't helped before. Together they choose methods to try, then adjust based on what actually helps in day-to-day life.
Confirm current session options before booking to learn which online formats are available. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and reduce travel time so people can use breaks at work or evenings more easily. They also let the therapist and client try interventions that fit into real routines, such as bedtime planning or brief coping exercises between sessions.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
27+ years
Credentials
California
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does she help with?
She helps people with stress, anxiety, sleep difficulties, relationship and intimacy concerns, grief, trauma and abuse, and work or career strain.
What is her general therapy style?
Her style is collaborative and practical. She listens for strengths, helps reframe life stories, and works toward short-term, attainable goals.
How much experience does she have?
She has 27 years of professional experience working with a wide range of concerns including attachment issues and compassion fatigue.
What are her credentials and where is she located?
She is a California licensed marriage and family therapist - LMFT - and practices in California.
Which languages are supported?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people outside the United States work with her?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
How does pricing work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I get started?
Select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.