“Shelby has been an amazing mentor to me in my own therapeutic practice. Her candor, warmth, and relatable nature make her my go-to person whenever I’m feeling out of alignment.
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For over 20 years, I have worked with individuals and couples in Orange County, CA, to heal, restore and rejuvenate relationships both with one another, and with themselves.
At the root of everything I do is a belief that asking for help can be the greatest act of love, for both yourself, and those you care about. I am honored to hold space for people, and help them live their very best lives.
As a graduate of St Mary’s College, I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and have worked in the therapy field, teaching relationship and communication skills to individuals and couples for over two decades, sharing the journey of hundreds of people. With deep roots in mindfulness-based approaches, my therapeutic style is richly eclectic, integrating several research-based modalities.
I specialize in all relationship issues including separation, divorce, and infidelity; and assist each individual/couple with tools for better communication and acceptance. Aside from couples therapy, I have extensive experience working with anxiety, depression, grief, panic attacks, chronic stress, and addictions.
With integrity, compassion, and understanding at the core of my practice, I work with each client to help build on their strengths and attain the personal growth they are committed to accomplishing. I have participated in numerous speaking engagements in both Los Angeles and Orange Counties on how chronic stress and trauma can manifest in the body and the benefits of mind-body balance. In addition to being a classically trained and skilled psychotherapist, I am a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-500). I began practicing yoga over 20 years ago and immediately fell in love with the benefits of the practice. Although not formally trained, my true passion lies in somatic experiencing (SE), which is a naturalistic, neurobiological, body-oriented approach to healing traumas and other stress-related disorders—ultimately restoring the authentic self with self-regulation, relaxation, wholeness, and aliveness.
I am registered with the Board of Behavioral Sciences and am a clinical member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, affiliated with the Orange County Chapter (OC-CAMFT).
In addition to the clinical affiliations I am a part of, I founded The OC Shrinks, which is now a thriving organization with over 3,000 members, dedicated to upholding the highest standards of care in the field of mental health. We aim to build bridges between clinicians, clients and treatment centers in our community, and close the gaps within these populations. You can find out more about what the OC Shrinks offer, and learn how to become a member, here.
Whether we meet in my Newport Beach office, over Doxy.Me (an online HIPAA compliant Telehealth portal), or on the phone, I truly look forward to empowering you to lead a life filled with happiness and fulfillment.
With a perfect five-star rating, and an impeccable reputation in Orange County, California for offering compassionate and effective therapy and counseling to all of my patients, when we work together, you can rest assured that you are getting the very best care available.
“I highly recommend Shelby to my colleagues, as a fellow therapist and holistic health advocate.”
“Shelby is absolutely amazing. I started seeing her during a period of depression in 2016. She helped me become my best, truest self. Today is my birthday and I was reflecting on my life, and I had to stop what I was doing to write this.
”Shelby, you are one of my angels and I am so grateful for your wisdom, compassion, encouragement and guidance that I so badly needed for that dark time. I just completed by first yoga teacher training and can see now that everything has happened exactly as it should. I am living alone and love it. You were my pillar and I will never forget it; nor be able to fully express my deep respect and gratitude for you! “I just wanted to reach out and say THANK YOU. Thank you for being such a pivotal part of my journey.””
“Shelby is like a magnet for connecting people from all walks of life. The OC Shrinks community has been essential in starting my career and private practice in Newport Beach. ”
“I saw Shelby when my marriage was ending. I was angry and had many dark thoughts going through my head. Shelby was able to reach that place of trust that I needed in order to really open up. I found the sessions very low key but we had some tremendous breakthroughs. I shared thoughts with Shelby that I never revealed to anyone.”
EDUCATION + LICENSure + CERTIFICATION
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist MFC 43726
Member Orange County Chapter of Marriage and Family Therapists
Member Orange County Chapter IAEDP (International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals)
National Association of Professional Women
Board of Directors Member of CAST-OC (Couples and Sex Therapists of Orange County)
Clinical Member of California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists
MA in Psychology, Saint Mary's College, Moraga 2001
BS in Psychology, Saint Mary’s College, Moraga 1998
EMDR, Level 1 Certified, The Institute for Creative Mindfulness, 2016
Co-Founder Orange County Shrinks, 2011
RYT 500, Advanced Yoga Teacher, Cloud Nine Yoga, 2009
CD, Certified Birth Doula, Full Circle, Berkeley 1996
Shelby often contributes to the community of mental health through her writing and can be found on various platforms. To read an article about mindfulness, please click here. To read an article about self love and resolutions, please click here.
In 2021, Shelby was interviewed by Voyage LA magazine- check it out, here.
In 2022, Shelby was interviewed by Subkit - where she talks about her entrepreneurial journey in healthcare and what she has in store for The OC Shrinks. Read the piece, here.