Shirley Souder, LMFT, LCSW

Licensed in Indiana · 43 years in practice

Shirley Souder is a licensed mental health clinician with a practical, relationship-focused approach to therapy.

License and registration

LMFT, Indiana: 35001030A · expires April 2026
LCSW, Indiana: 34002624A · expires April 2026
NPI: 1184863508 · national provider identifier
Years in practice: 43
Languages: English

Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check any license with the state board and any NPI with the national registry.

About Shirley

Shirley Souder is a licensed mental health clinician with a practical, relationship-focused approach to therapy. She blends attachment-based ideas with client-centered care to help people understand patterns and make concrete changes. Shirley has over four decades of experience and brings a calm, direct manner to sessions.

Shirley focuses on everyday struggles like stress, anxiety, depression, grief, and problems with self-esteem. She also supports people facing trauma, addiction, compassion fatigue, and life transitions.

Background and approach

Parenting concerns, intimacy-related issues, and career-related stress are common topics she helps people sort through. Her work draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify unhelpful thoughts and test new behaviors. She uses Emotionally-Focused Therapy and attachment-based ideas to look at how relationships and hurtful patterns form and hold.

Motivational Interviewing helps when someone feels stuck and wants a boost toward change. Shirley taught and used faith-informed ideas earlier in her career and can integrate spiritual values when clients request that perspective. She offers practical tools - steps to try between sessions, communication skills, and ways to manage strong emotions.

Sessions are straightforward and aimed at helping people make usable changes. She holds both a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist credential and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker credential in Indiana. Shirley works with English-speaking clients and accepts international clients for online formats.

Her long experience gives her a wide base of examples and approaches to draw from.

Focus areas and approaches

Everything Shirley lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.

Stress, Anxiety
Relationship issues
Family conflicts
Trauma and abuse
Self esteem
Addictions
Grief
Intimacy-related issues
Parenting issues
Anger management
Career difficulties
Depression
Coping with life changes
Coaching
Compassion fatigue
ADHD
Abandonment
Aging and geriatric issues
Antisocial personality
Attachment issues
Avoidant personality
Blended family issues
Body image
Cancer
Caregiver issues and stress
Codependency
Commitment issues
Communication problems
Control issues
Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
Dissociation
Divorce and separation
Domestic violence
Family of origin issues
Family problems
Forgiveness
Guilt and shame
Isolation / loneliness
Life purpose
Midlife crisis
Mood disorders
Narcissism
Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
Panic disorder and panic attacks
Personality disorders
Phobias
Post-traumatic stress
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
Self-love
Social anxiety and phobia
Women's issues
Workplace issues

Approaches Shirley names

Naming an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist lists and does not check training records.

Online support

How her approaches translate to online therapy

Shirley uses a mix of attachment-based ideas, client-centered listening, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to guide online sessions. Attachment-based work looks at how early relationship patterns show up now and helps people change those patterns in close relationships. Client-centered care focuses on listening, reflecting what matters to the client, and letting the person set the pace and goals. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps identify unhelpful thoughts and test small behavior changes to see what works.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. Shirley will discuss goals and preferences and then try methods that fit the client’s needs. That collaborative process helps tailor sessions so techniques and homework feel useful and realistic.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, which offer flexibility. Video calls let people use face-to-face interaction for deeper emotional work. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or a brief check-in fits a lunch break. Live chat and messaging work well for shorter updates, journaling-style reflection, or when someone prefers not to be on camera. These options help fit therapy into busy lives and different routines.

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Questions people ask

What kinds of problems does Shirley address?

She helps with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, self-esteem, trauma and addiction-related concerns. She also supports people dealing with parenting strain, intimacy issues, career stress, and compassion fatigue.

What is her therapy style like?

Her style mixes attachment-based and client-centered approaches with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques. Sessions tend to focus on understanding patterns, trying practical steps, and improving relationships.

How much experience does she bring?

She has 43 years of experience working with a wide range of concerns and life transitions. That background informs practical strategies and real-world suggestions offered in sessions.

What credentials and location information are on file?

She holds Indiana LMFT and Indiana LCSW credentials and practices from Indiana. These credentials are listed as LMFT and LCSW.

Are sessions available in other languages or internationally?

Sessions are offered in English. She does accept international clients for online formats.

What formats are used for sessions?

Therapy is offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to suit different schedules and needs.

How is cost handled for sessions?

Costs vary by location and therapist availability, and sessions are provided through a subscription that can be canceled at any time.

How do I begin working with her?

Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.

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