Shirley’s journey to becoming an individual and couples therapist began in 2015 when she was an undergraduate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she studied Sociology and minored in Social Work. Growing up, Shirley witnessed conflicts within her family where emotions often ran high, but open communication about feelings was rare. These experiences fueled her desire to learn more about emotional regulation and effective communication, with the hope that conflicts could become opportunities for repair rather than sources of lasting damage.

Over the last decade, Shirley has worked with clients of all ages and cultural backgrounds in various settings, including schools, community mental health centers, and group practices. Her professional experiences at organizations like Youth and Opportunity United, Trilogy Behavioral Health, and The Josselyn Center have shaped her understanding of the diverse challenges people face.

Through these experiences, Shirley realized the profound impact of empathy—not sympathy—in creating lasting change. She believes that people often don’t need someone to solve their problems for them; rather, they need someone to truly listen, to hear their feelings and concerns without judgment or interruption.

Shirley is deeply committed to helping her clients build and maintain healthy relationships, where conflicts and intense emotions can be pathways to healing rather than sources of pain. Her practice focuses on relationship transitions, boundary setting, and managing intergenerational trauma, with the goal of fostering self-worth, emotional regulation, and improved communication.