- CBT methods
- DBT skills
- Emotion-focused work
About Shakina
Shakina Small is an LPC - Licensed Professional Counselor in Pennsylvania with 26 years of clinical experience. She works with adults on relationship strain, trauma and abuse, addictions, self-esteem, parenting challenges, career shifts, bipolar concerns, ADHD, and the stresses of young adulthood.
Shakina draws on approaches such as Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT), and existential ideas. Sessions focus on clear conversation and practical skills. She can be direct when needed and offers educational tools alongside emotional processing.
Her background includes work in a wide range of settings, including schools, residential programs, foster care, inpatient and outpatient services, and correctional environments. That varied practice informs how she adapts methods to real-life situations like parenting, blended family stress, and adoption-related concerns.
Common topics she addresses are abandonment, attachment issues, body image, codependency, communication problems, control issues, divorce and separation, domestic violence, drug and alcohol addiction, fatherhood issues, and coping with life changes. She also supports people dealing with emptiness, commitment questions, and intimacy-related struggles.
Shakina uses creative methods at times, such as writing and expressive exercises, alongside more structured therapies like CBT and DBT. Her emphasis is on helping people identify patterns that hold them back and learn concrete ways to change those patterns. For young adults this often looks like working through identity, relationships, and early career pressures.
How her approaches translate to online work
Client-Centered Therapy centers the conversation on the person's experience and priorities. Online sessions using this approach focus on listening, reflecting, and helping clients set the goals they care about. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) breaks problems into thoughts, feelings, and actions and gives step-by-step tools to change unhelpful patterns; that structure adapts well to remote sessions with worksheets and between-session practice. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) teaches emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal skills that can be practiced in daily life and discussed during online appointments.Finding the best approach is part of the work together. The therapist will talk with the client about their needs, goals, and preferences, then try methods that fit. That collaborative process can shift over time if one method is not helping enough.
The biography does not specify which session formats are offered here, so confirm the current session options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule, reduce travel time, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and let people use exercises and worksheets between appointments. Licensed professionals can adapt techniques such as CBT and DBT to online conversations so clients practice skills in their day-to-day life.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
26+ years
Listed in
Pennsylvania
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she address?
She works with relationship issues, trauma and abuse, addictions, self-esteem, parenting, career challenges, ADHD, bipolar concerns and related areas.
What is her therapy style like?
Her style mixes client-centered conversation with skills-based work from CBT and DBT, plus emotion-focused techniques. She can be direct and educational when that helps progress.
How much experience does she have?
She has 26 years of experience working as a psychotherapist and counselor in many settings.
What credentials and location are listed?
She is an LPC - Licensed Professional Counselor in Pennsylvania.
Can sessions be conducted in another language?
Sessions are offered in English.
Does she work with international clients?
She is not currently accepting international clients.
How are costs handled?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin if I want to work with her?
Use the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Online talk therapy through BetterHelp is for adults aged 18 and over and is not emergency care. If you are in danger, use the emergency numbers. Find someone else by name.