Judith 'Judi' Shaffer, LICSW, LCSW

Judith 'Judi' Shaffer is a licensed clinical social worker with 29 years of experience who helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, and relationship concerns. She focuses on building a calm, nonjudgmental space where clients can talk about self-esteem, motivation, and changes in life. Judi works in English and is based in California.

Judi uses a mix of approaches tailored to each person's needs, including cognitive behavioral ideas and client-centered listening. She aims to make sessions practical and down-to-earth, helping people try small changes that can make daily life easier. Sessions often focus on identifying thoughts and behaviors that cause distress and testing new ways of coping.

Her background spans nearly three decades of practice in social work, holding an MA LICSW and a California LCSW. That experience includes supporting people dealing with aging and geriatric issues, caregiver stress, and midlife transitions. Judi also addresses attachment issues, family of origin and communication problems, and struggles with guilt or shame.

People also turn to her for help with body image, eating and food-related concerns, codependency, and divorce or separation challenges. She works with those feeling isolated or searching for life purpose, offering steady, practical guidance. Judi emphasizes small steps that fit a client's daily routine.

Her style blends empathic listening with problem-solving and longer-term reflection when helpful. That combination lets clients address immediate worries while working toward deeper change. Starting therapy is a process, and Judi supports each person at their own pace.

How Judi’s Approaches Translate to Online Therapy

Judi draws on cognitive behavioral ideas and client-centered therapy to guide online work. Cognitive behavioral work focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing small behavior changes to reduce anxiety or low mood. Client-centered therapy emphasizes listening and empathy so clients can explore feelings and build self-understanding over time.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. Judi will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what feels most useful. Together they may try tools from different approaches and adjust the plan as progress is made.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, which offer flexibility for different schedules and situations. Video calls are useful for a full session with face-to-face interaction, while phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited. Live chat and text messaging can make brief check-ins or homework support easier to fit into a busy day. These options let clients keep therapy consistent while balancing work, caregiving, and other commitments.