01 · Who Shelley works with

Shelley works with self esteem, career difficulties and depression

Shelley lists 17 specialisms and 13 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Shelley chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Shelley's own words

What Shelley says about the work

Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.

My clients say that they really appreciate the feeling that I am "on their side" helping them understand how to cope and deal with life. I always say if the behavior you are doing is getting you what you want out of life, keep doing it! If not, let's work together to see what we can change so you can get what you want out of life. I am a good listener and try to be the kind of counselor that I needed myself but never could find. I use mindfulness in my practice and truly believe Jon Kabat Zin when he said " As long as you are breathing, there is more right with you than wrong with you, no matter what is wrong". I work with my clients to help them develop insights. I try to teach them coping skills and tools so they can recognize life's little landmines and be able to navigate through and around them. Everyone has strengths and we explore yours so you can put them to the highest use in your life. Let's face it, life is not supposed to be painful and confusing. For some people it is. A good therapist can help you find your way out of the woods and to feel better, do better and prosper. I really love working with clients and am proud of the progress my clients in my private practice have made. Maybe I can help you too. My goal is to help you find better solutions through mindfulness, kindness, compassion and to add a little humor.

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Board Certified Patient Advocate. I am also Certified as a Life Coach. But most importantly, I am a human being just like you and people say I have the knack for helping them feel better.

Shelley Dodt, on the BetterHelp listing · read 10 Oct 2026

03 · How Shelley works

The 6 approaches Shelley lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Shelley lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Shelley's - a general explanation of what each method is, so the list means something before you have spoken to anybody. They are not a claim about how Shelley runs a session.

Cognitive Behavioural TherapyCBT

Structured, present-focused work on the loop between what you think, how you feel and what you then do. Usually means noticing a thought pattern in the room, testing it against evidence, and practising something different between sessions. Among the most heavily researched talking therapies for depression and anxiety.

Dialectical Behaviour TherapyDBT

A structured skills-led adaptation of CBT built around holding two things at once: accepting yourself as you are and working to change. Teaches concrete skills for distress tolerance, emotion regulation and relationships. Developed for people whose feelings arrive at overwhelming intensity, and strongest-evidenced there.

The Gottman Method

A couples approach built on decades of observational research into what distinguishes relationships that last. Structured and assessment-led: it maps friendship, conflict and shared meaning, then works on the specific mechanics of how the two of you argue.

Mindfulness-Based TherapyMBCT

Trains attention on what is happening right now - body, breath, the thought as it arrives - so distress can be observed rather than automatically acted on. Strongest evidence is in preventing depression from recurring, and it is usually taught as a practice you keep doing outside the session.

Motivational InterviewingMI

A way of talking about change with somebody who is genuinely in two minds about it. The therapist does not argue for the change; they help you say your own reasons out loud, which is the part that predicts whether it happens. Common around substance use and health behaviour.

Solution-Focused Brief TherapySFBT

Starts from where you want to end up rather than from how you got here. Sessions look for the times the problem is already smaller and work out what is different about those, so the number of sessions tends to be short and the work concrete.

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Shelley practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Shelley's own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.

1. A questionnaire, not a booking form

   BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Shelley at this point.

2. Naming Shelley specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Shelley is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Shelley.

3. If the caseload is full

   You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.

4. The first conversation

   A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.

5. If the fit is wrong

   Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.

05 · Before you commit

2 questions worth asking Shelley

Built from what Shelley actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Shelley's - Shelley has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.

• “How do you decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”

  Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.

• “How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”

  On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.

06 · Practical details

Credentials and licensing

Credential

LCSW

Licensed in

Florida

Licence

FL LCSW SW15916

Licence number

SW15916

Licence expires

31 Mar 2027

NPI

1134690217

Years in practice

5

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Shelley's name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 10 Oct 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.

The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.

Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Shelley. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.

Something on this page wrong or out of date? Report it and it will be checked against the source.