01 · Who Shirley works with

Shirley works with trauma and abuse, grief and coping with life changes

Shirley lists 13 specialisms and 26 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Shirley chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Shirley's own words

What Shirley says about the work

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

I am licensed in California with 28 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with stress and anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief and loss, & coping with changes in life and relationships. I truly believe that you are the expert of your story, and that you have many strengths that will assist you in overcoming difficulties that challenge you. It takes courage to seek out a more fulfilling and happier life and to take the first steps towards change. I am here to support & empower you in that journey. I believe in the Almighty, whether He is called God, Allah, Buddha, etc. I do not politicize my faith. Please note that I am not a religious extremist in any way.

2 Corinthians 1:4 "He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us”.

IMPORTANT- as the CA Board requires that I have the following information Full Name Address Phone number Date of Birth

Please provide this information in the message area

NOTICE TO CLIENTS The Board of Behavioral Sciences receives and responds to complaints regarding services provided within the scope of practice of (marriage and family therapists, licensed educational psychologists, clinical social workers, or professional clinical counselors). You may contact the board online at www.bbs.ca.gov, or by calling (916) 574-7830.

CA BBS-LICENSE #: 25539 NAME: IKENZE, SHIRLEY ANN LICENSE TYPE: LICENSED CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKER

PRIMARY STATUS: LICENSE RENEWED & CURRENT

ADDRESS OF RECORD 612 W. LODI AVE 101-61 LODI CA 95240 SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY

EXPIRATION DATE MARCH 31, 2027

Shirley Ikenze, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026

03 · How Shirley works

The 5 approaches Shirley lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Shirley lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Shirley'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 Shirley runs a session.

Client-Centred TherapyPerson-centred · Rogerian

The therapist does not steer toward a technique or a diagnosis. They offer sustained, non-judgemental attention and reflect back what they hear, on the premise that people find their own direction when they are genuinely listened to. Often what people mean by “someone who just gets it”.

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.

Narrative Therapy

Treats the story you tell about your life as something that can be examined and retold rather than as the plain facts. Separates the person from the problem - “the anxiety” rather than “your anxiety” - to make room for the parts the current story leaves out.

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

Shirley 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 Shirley'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 Shirley at this point.

2. Naming Shirley specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Shirley 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 Shirley.

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

4 questions worth asking Shirley

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

• “You list both Solution-Focused Brief Therapy and Client-Centred Therapy. Which do you lean on with someone like me?”

  Those two point in different directions - one structured and led by the therapist, the other led by you. The answer tells you what the sessions will actually feel like.

• “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.

• “With 26 years in, what has changed most in how you work?”

  Long experience is only an advantage if it has been examined. This tends to surface whether it has.

• “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

California

Licence

CA LCSW 25539

Licence number

25539

Licence expires

31 Mar 2027

NPI

1730334525

Years in practice

26

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Shirley'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 9 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 Shirley. 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.