Shelly Flachs
Practical, skills-focused therapy for life transitions
LCSW Illinois
- Experience
- 12 years in practice
- Focus areas
- Stress, Anxiety, Trauma and abuse, Grief
- Approaches
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Languages
- English
About Shelly
Shelly Flachs is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with 12 years of clinical experience who centers her work on practical, evidence-informed strategies to help people manage stress, mood concerns, and life transitions.
Background and approach
She uses cognitive behavioral ideas alongside other therapeutic tools to help clients identify patterns in thoughts and behaviors and develop skills for coping, emotion regulation, and problem solving. Shelly has worked with people facing anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, grief, bipolar disorder, and substance-related concerns, as well as a broad range of relationship, intimacy, and identity issues.
Her practice also addresses challenges such as sleep and eating difficulties, parenting stress, compassion fatigue, ADHD, and a variety of attachment and personality-related concerns. She aims to tailor each session to the individual, drawing on approaches like DBT, EFT, mindfulness, and motivational interviewing when appropriate.
Based in Illinois and holding active LCSW credentials, Shelly emphasizes collaboration and practical planning to support clients as they pursue clearer goals and more effective coping. She frames therapy as a step toward resilience, helping people build skills and make sustainable changes at a pace that fits their lives.
Therapeutic approaches and online care
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying and shifting unhelpful thought and behavior patterns to reduce symptoms like anxiety and depression and to support practical problem solving. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) teaches skills for emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness, which can be helpful for intense emotions and relationship challenges. Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) centers on understanding and reshaping emotional responses in order to improve connection and intimacy in relationships.
Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will work with each client to assess needs, set goals, and select or combine methods that fit the client’s preferences and circumstances. That collaborative exploration helps tailor treatment toward tangible skills and meaningful change.
Online work is offered through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to provide flexibility for different schedules and comfort levels. These options make it possible to continue therapeutic work from home or while balancing work and family responsibilities, and they allow clients to access licensed professionals without a commute.
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Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
12+ years
Licensed
Illinois, Maine, Missouri, Iowa
Languages
English