Shirley Colee, LMHC

Shirley Colee is a Florida-licensed mental health counselor with 20 years of experience helping people work through relationship strains, family conflict, trauma and abuse, grief, and loss. She aims to meet clients where they are and build a practical plan that fits each person’s life and goals.

Shirley focuses on clear, respectful conversation. She listens first, then helps people name what’s most pressing. Sessions often include skill-building for stress, anxiety, and mood concerns alongside talks about tricky relationships and past hurts.

Her approach draws on Client-Centered Therapy to keep the person’s needs central. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and EMDR techniques may be used to address patterns, emotional regulation, and trauma symptoms. Shirley adapts methods to what a client says works best for them.

She also supports people dealing with addictions, parenting strain, caregiving stress, and career-related pressures. Issues like anger, self-esteem, eating concerns, and impulsivity are frequently part of the work she does with clients.

Shirley respects each person’s pace and choices during treatment. She encourages small, concrete steps and checks in regularly to adjust goals and strategies as progress and circumstances change.

How Shirley blends approaches for online work

Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes listening and tailoring the conversation to the person in front of her. In practice this means the therapist asks open questions, reflects what she hears, and shapes sessions around the client’s priorities.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and behaviors and replacing them with more effective patterns. It can help with anxiety, depression, and stress by teaching concrete coping skills and short exercises to practice between sessions.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) teaches emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal skills. It suits people who want structured tools for handling intense emotions and improving communication.

Finding the right approach is a shared process. Shirley will discuss options, try methods, and adjust based on how a client responds. She works collaboratively to match techniques to a person’s goals and preferences rather than assuming one method fits everyone.

The practical benefits of online therapy include easier fitting of sessions into a busy week and fewer logistical barriers to attending appointments. Because the biography does not list specific session formats, confirm current options before booking. Online work can make it simpler to check in during a lunch break, do short skill reviews, or follow up after a difficult week without needing extra travel time.