Shirley Souder, LMFT, LCSW

Shirley Souder is a licensed marriage and family therapist and licensed clinical social worker based in Indiana. She brings 43 years of clinical experience to sessions and blends practical, values-informed perspectives with everyday problem solving. Shirley focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety, relationship and family concerns, grief, addictions, and the life transitions that come with aging and caregiving roles.

She emphasizes clear, action-oriented conversation. Shirley draws on Reality Therapy ideas that ask what people are doing now, what they want to change, and when they want that change to happen. She pairs that with faith-informed Christian Counseling for clients who want spiritual input alongside practical steps. This includes discussing scripture application when requested by the client.

Shirley works with individual adults, teens, and people adjusting to widowhood or a new life routine. Her practice covers emotional forgiveness skills, coping with grief, parenting challenges, communication problems, and caregiver stress. She also addresses self-esteem, intimacy concerns, ADHD-related struggles, and workplace issues such as interview preparation and behavior strategies.

Her approach is straightforward and skills-focused. Sessions often include talking through current problems, setting reachable goals, and practicing new ways of handling difficult people or situations. She offers guidance on everyday tasks like nutrition suggestions and interview preparation when these relate to a client's goals.

With decades of experience, Shirley aims to help people develop practical routines and clearer decisions. Prospective clients who value a blend of practical strategies and faith-informed discussion may find her style a close fit.

How Shirley's Approaches Translate to Online Sessions

Attachment-Based Therapy helps people notice patterns in how they connect and respond to others. It is useful for relationship concerns, attachment issues, and intimacy-related struggles by focusing on feelings and safety in relationships. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at how thoughts affect feelings and behavior and teaches practical skills to change unhelpful patterns; it often helps with anxiety, depression, and coping with life changes. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes a respectful, nonjudgmental conversation where the therapist listens closely and follows the client's pace to build insight and self-directed goals.

Choosing the right approach is a shared process. Shirley will work with each person to figure out which methods fit their needs, goals, and preferences. That decision can shift over time as priorities change and progress is made.

Practical benefits of online therapy include fitting sessions into busy schedules and reducing travel time so people can access care more easily. Online work can also make shorter check-ins or weekday appointments simpler to arrange around work or caregiving responsibilities. Specific session formats were not listed in the biography, so confirm current online or in-person options before scheduling to make sure they meet your needs.