Shirley Colee

Respectful counseling for relationship and life challenges

LMHC Florida

Experience: 20 years in practice
Focus areas: Relationship, Family, Trauma and abuse
Approaches: Gottman Method, Client-Centered Therapy
Languages: English

About Shirley

Shirley Colee is a Florida-licensed mental health counselor who focuses on helping people navigate relationship strain, family conflict, grief, trauma, and mood concerns. She greets each person with respect and compassion and works to make the first steps into therapy feel manageable.

Background and approach

Shirley adapts sessions to each person's needs and pace. She listens closely, helps people name what feels hard, and collaborates to set clear goals.

Conversations are straightforward and aimed at practical change as well as emotional understanding. Her approach pulls from methods that address interaction patterns, thought habits, and emotional regulation.

That can mean practicing new ways to talk about problems, testing small behavior changes, or learning skills to tolerate distress. She also uses work that helps process difficult memories when trauma is part of the story.

With two decades of clinical experience, Shirley has supported people through addiction, parenting stress, career transitions, and issues around self-worth and anger. She also works with concerns like eating problems, impulsivity, ADHD, and caregiver strain.

Her background includes long-term clinical practice in Florida. Therapy with Shirley aims to be collaborative and practical.

She helps people build tools they can use between sessions, and she adjusts plans as needs change. If you want a steady, respectful clinician who will listen and help you take workable steps forward, she may be a good fit.

How therapeutic approaches fit online care

Shirley uses the Gottman Method and Client-Centered Therapy as part of her online work. The Gottman Method focuses on how people interact and communicate, helping to identify patterns and practice new ways of relating. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes listening and empathic responding so clients feel understood and can set their own goals.

She also draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy when helpful, which looks at thoughts and behaviors that keep problems going and teaches practical skills to shift them. Choosing the right approach is collaborative - the therapist and client discuss needs, personal preferences, and what feels most useful, then try methods together and adjust as progress is tracked.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video is useful for deeper conversations and role work, phone sessions can fit a short break or low-bandwidth settings, live chat works for brief check-ins, and messaging supports ongoing reflection between appointments. These options let therapy fit into busy days and different lifestyles while keeping the focus on workable change.

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of problems does Shirley address?

She works with relationship and family difficulties, trauma and grief, depression, anxiety, addictions, parenting stress, anger, self-esteem, and related concerns such as ADHD and eating issues.

What is her therapeutic style like?

Sessions are collaborative and client-centered, with a focus on clear goals and practical skills. Conversations aim to be direct, respectful, and tailored to each person's needs.

How much experience does she have?

Shirley brings 20 years of professional work experience in clinical settings, helping people with a wide range of emotional and behavioral concerns.

What are her credentials and location?

She holds a Licensed Mental Health Counselor credential - LMHC - and is based in Florida.

Are sessions offered in other languages or internationally?

Sessions are offered in English, and she accepts international clients.

Which session formats does she offer?

Shirley works with video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different needs and schedules.

How is cost handled for sessions?

Costs vary with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.

What do I need to do to start working with her?

Begin by selecting the Start Therapy button, completing a short matching questionnaire, and then scheduling according to therapist availability.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Relationship issuesFamily conflictsTrauma and abuse Grief Depression

Also works with

Stress, Anxiety Addictions Intimacy-related issuesEating disordersParenting issuesAnger managementSelf esteemCareer difficultiesBipolar disorderCoping with life changes Compassion fatigue ADHD

Additional focus areas

Aging and geriatric issues Attachment issues Caregiver issues and stress Codependency Communication problems Control issues Divorce and separationDrug and alcohol addictionEating and food-related issuesEmptinessFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsForgiveness Guilt and shame Impulsivity Infidelity Isolation / loneliness Jealousy Life purpose Men's issues Midlife crisis Money and financial issues Mood disorders Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD Panic disorder and panic attacks Phobias Post-traumatic stressProcess addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)Self-loveSex addictionSexual assault and abuse Social anxiety and phobia Women's issues Workplace issues

Therapeutic approaches

Client-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)Existential TherapyEye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)Gottman MethodImago Relationship TherapyJungian TherapyPsychodynamic TherapySolution-Focused TherapyTrauma-Focused TherapyInternal Family Systems

Experience

20+ years

Licensed in

Florida

Languages

English