About
What is counseling?
Whether you’ve worked with a counselor before or are seeking out counseling for the first time, welcome!
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Counseling is a professional relationship focused on your mental health, wellbeing, and overall quality of life.
I bring my training, knowledge, and experience, but the focus is on you, your goals, and what you care about.
My role isn’t about telling people what to do. Instead, it’s about proving a supportive environment which can helping clients make their own decisions.
We’ll explore what’s important to you and explore blocks and barriers that may show up along the way, working together as we go.
Embracing the paradox of both/and
Drawing from Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), my counseling philosophy is based on the idea of finding balance among opposites.
Examples include:
Work and rest
Structure and flexibility
Confidence and humility
Self-acceptance and personal growth
It’s easy to fall into all-or-nothing thinking. Sometimes feel like we must choose between one extreme or the other.
But life is rarely all-or-nothing! Counseling can be about seeking balance, practicing flexibility, and even becoming more comfortable with the many uncertainties of life.
LGBTQIA+ friendly
As someone who’s queer and nonbinary myself, I understand the importance of LGBTQIA+ affirming health care. I have experience working with LGBTQIA+ clients and regularly seek out continuing education and consultation to deepen my knowledge and skills in this area.
Neurodiversity affirming
For clients who are Autistic, have ADHD, are neurodivergent, or are in the process of exploring if any of this might be a fit for them, it can be helpful to work with a counselor who comes from a neurodiversity-affirming perspective.
I’m neurodivergent myself, and I know that living in a world that often is not designed with our needs in mind can be tough. But neurodivergence is not a problem to be cured!
In counseling, we can work on improving quality of life and taking steps toward your goals from the perspective of self acceptance.
Health at Every Size
I approach wellness from a body-positive, weight-neutral, Health at Every Size perspective. I do not encourage dieting, and I don’t view weight loss as a counseling goal.
Evidence-based therapy approaches
Because folks sometimes are seeking out a specific type of therapy, it can be helpful to mention that I have training in the following therapy approaches:
Collaborative, strengths-based counseling
For solving problems and moving toward goals.Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
For healing from past trauma and increasing resiliency.Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
For living a fuller life, even when fears, doubt, or intrusive OCD-related thoughts show up.Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills
Coping skills for understanding emotions, engaging with life mindfully, and communicating more effectively. (Note: I’m currently not offering “full model” or “comprehensive” DBT, but can incorporate DBT skills into counseling.)
If that’s helpful to know, great!
(And if your eyes glazed over at the therapist jargon,
that’s perfectly okay too! You do not need to memorize therapy acronyms in order to get started working with a counselor!)
How I work
Since therapists have different styles, I’d like to share more about how I approach counseling.
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I enjoy working collaboratively with clients. We are on the same team, working together toward your goals.
I start out by asking about what brings someone in and what they are hoping to get out of counseling. In the first few sessions I’ll ask you questions about your life and your goals, and we’ll create a plan for our sessions moving forward.
As we continue working together, your feedback will help us make adjustments as we go.
I believe that therapy does not have to be long term to be helpful. My hope is that clients gain skills that are useful after we stop meeting.
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As a counselor, I teach skills that may be useful, work together to solve problems, and offer support to clients as they take action on their goals. But I don’t make decisions for clients or tell them what to do.
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I genuinely enjoy my work as a counselor, and I think so highly of my clients. It’s an honor to be a part of their lives as they seek to better understand themselves, grow in self-acceptance, and take action toward their goals.
Online video sessions
My practice is currently 100% telehealth, which increases accessibly. I am able to meet with for clients located anywhere in North Carolina or South Carolina.
I use Zoom for Healthcare, for high-quality telehealth counseling sessions. Meetings are end-to-end encrypted and compatible with HIPAA privacy standards.
To get the most out of our meetings, I recommend:
A space that is private, quiet, and comfortable.
A stable internet connection.
Headphones or earbuds.
A few minutes by yourself before and after to transition between the session and the rest of your day.
My credentials
Therapists often have several acronyms after their names, which can be confusing if it’s never explained!
Here are mine: Andrew Shaw, M.Ed, LCMHC, NCC.
Here’s what these letters mean:
M.Ed: This is my graduate degree. I hold a master's degree in clinical mental health counseling.
LCMHC: I’m licensed as a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor.
NCC: I’m board certified as a National Certified Counselor (NCC).
