Stephanie Shepard

While life in and of itself can be stressing enough; I believe it is okay to need a little help or extra push along the way at some point or another. This is exactly what therapeutic services can be for you; to take that next step in becoming the greatest version of who you really are, or are meant to be. My name is Stephanie Shepard, I received my Bachelor's degree in Psychology and my Master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy both from the University of La Verne, in La Verne, Ca. I began my undergrad internship experience at an agency who provides group counseling in Domestic Violence and Narcotics Anonymous, and began my graduate fieldwork experience at a Methadone clinic working in substance replacement treatment. My clinical experience has been working with clients from age 6 to 84 in office, field & now telehealth based care in a myriad of settings and various populations. Being a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I have done research on and take a special interest in the negative impacts on mental health for those who suffer from discriminating and internalizing symptoms related to their sexual orientation, identity, acceptance, and expression. I believe that every client and their experiences are different; therefore, therapy with every client should be different. So, I enjoy Cognitive Behavioral, Solution Focused, and Reality concepts; while also incorporating important aspects from other approaches & my own personality to best accommodate my clients in reaching their treatment goals. Master your mind, master your life. Change your mind, change your life - that is what I am here to help you do.

I work along side you in your journey, I use metaphors and analogies to help you think about things in a different way to take better control of your mind/mindset. I use CBT concepts to depict how thoughts/feelings/behaviors affect one another, but person-centered as well with an unconditional positive regard & meeting you where you are so we can get to where you would like to be as soon as possible, but no rushing. Humor is a big part of my therapy, I believe in the power of laughter, so I try to make sure there is space for that in our road map. "Any progress is good progress" as I always say, so you can expect me to be your biggest supporter, but will challenge you to think/reflect differently at times if necessary to help you grow as an individual. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to help you grow/change/heal however you see fit for this time in your life, because its beautiful! Life that is :)

Our first session is going to be getting to know each other a little bit more, for instance, how I operate as a therapist, but what brings you to therapy and a bit of your background to make sure we work on the proper things and what you really want/need to improve. We will create goals in first or second session, first is more intake and assessment, then planning, but if time allows we may make goals in first session.