Works with
How Brian works
Practical facts
- Credentials
- LCMHC, LCPC
- Licensed in
- Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania
- Years in practice
- 20
- Languages
- English
- Session format
- Online, through our partner platform
About Brian
Dr. Brian Shaffer is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, LCMHC, and a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, LCPC, with two decades of experience. He uses a person-centered approach that emphasizes practical steps and clear goals.
He listens closely and helps people understand what keeps them stuck and what can change. He combines several therapeutic styles to match each person’s needs. That can include cognitive behavioral techniques to shift unhelpful thinking, acceptance and commitment ideas to clarify values, and attachment-focused work to heal relationship patterns.
Background and approach
Sessions also may address how past trauma or loss connects to current problems like addiction, grief, depression, anxiety, or anger. Dr. Shaffer pays attention to spiritual beliefs when clients want that included.
He frames spiritual values as part of recovery and coping, not as separate treatment. That makes therapy more personally meaningful for many people. He helps with practical life challenges such as coping with change, caregiver stress, chronic illness, work strain, and issues around intimacy or body image.
He also supports people working through identity and relationship concerns, including LGBT matters and alternative sexual cultures. Clients can expect straightforward conversation, skill building, and actionable plans between sessions. He aims to help people move from feeling overwhelmed to having tools they can use day to day.
His work is focused on steady progress and rebuilding hope.
What Brian works with
Everything Brian lists, in the therapist's own terms. Anger is the reason this directory exists; the rest tells you what usually sits alongside it in Brian's practice.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- LGBT
- Grief
- Depression
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Intimacy-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Coping with life changes
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Attachment issues
- Avoidant personality
- BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Divorce and separation
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Guilt and shame
- HIV / AIDS
- Hoarding
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Traumatic brain injury
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Brian lists
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Existential Therapy
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Jungian Therapy
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist names and does not check training records.
How these approaches translate to online care
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on helping people notice their thoughts and choose actions that match their values. Online ACT work often includes short exercises and continued practice between sessions to build a values-based life. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps identify unhelpful thinking and tries out new behaviors to reduce symptoms. In online CBT sessions clients can use worksheets, homework, and brief skill check-ins to track progress and make real changes. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationship patterns affect current connections and communication; this work can clarify patterns that fuel anxiety, anger, or intimacy difficulties.Choosing the right approach is part of the process, and the therapist will work collaboratively to find what fits. He will listen to your goals and try methods that suit your needs, adjusting the plan as you go so therapy stays practical and relevant.
Online formats like video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging make it easier to fit therapy into busy lives. Video allows face-to-face conversation for deeper exploration. Phone sessions can be a good option when bandwidth is limited or when a quieter check-in is needed. Text and chat formats support brief updates, skill coaching, and flexible touchpoints between longer sessions.
Questions people ask about Brian
What kinds of problems does this therapist address?
He helps people with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, addiction, anger, and relationship concerns, among other issues listed in his specialties.
What is his general therapeutic style?
He uses a person-centered approach paired with techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, attachment work, and dialectical behavior therapy.
How much clinical experience does he have?
He brings 20 years of experience working in mental health, addiction, trauma, grief, and spiritual care settings.
What are his credentials and where is he based?
He holds LCMHC and LCPC credentials and practices from Pennsylvania as listed in his profile.
Can I work with him if I live outside the United States?
He accepts international clients and conducts sessions with people outside the U.S.
Which session formats are available?
Sessions can be held via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging.
How are costs and billing handled?
Cost varies by location and therapist availability and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with him?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule sessions according to therapist availability.