Shelly Flachs, LCSW

Shelly Flachs is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with 12 years of experience helping people navigate anxiety, depression, trauma, and major life changes. She practices in Illinois and draws on practical therapy methods to help people find clearer ways forward. Her work addresses a wide range of concerns, including stress, grief, addictions, and issues related to aging and geriatric care.

She uses straightforward, skills-based approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy to help people change unhelpful thoughts and build coping tools. Emotionally-Focused Therapy and mindfulness practices are part of her work when people want to strengthen emotional awareness and regulation. Shelly also uses Motivational Interviewing to support people working through ambivalence around change.

Sessions focus on the person’s goals. Shelly helps people set clear, realistic steps and practices to try between meetings. She pays attention to relationships, communication patterns, and how everyday habits affect mood and functioning. Caregiver stress, chronic illness or pain, and aging concerns are areas she addresses alongside anxiety, mood, and trauma-related struggles.

Her background includes long-term clinical work across multiple states and many types of presenting concerns. She frames therapy as a collaborative process and adapts methods to fit each person’s preferences and circumstances. She works in English and holds Illinois and Maine LCSW credentials.

If someone is interested in working together, the typical next step is to use the site Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to the therapist’s availability.

How specific approaches shape online therapy

Shelly commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy in her work. CBT focuses on identifying and shifting unhelpful thoughts and behaviors to improve mood and functioning, and it is often used for anxiety, depression, and stress. DBT teaches practical skills for managing intense emotions, improving interpersonal effectiveness, and reducing impulsive reactions, which can help with mood instability and relationship challenges.

Finding the right approach is part of the process. The therapist will listen to your goals and preferences and collaborate to choose or blend methods that fit your needs. Together you will track progress and adjust techniques so the work feels useful and doable.

Session formats are not listed in the original biography, so confirm current options before booking. Online work can help fit therapy into a busy life by reducing travel and making scheduling more flexible. It can also allow for shorter check-ins or sessions that accommodate work or caregiving schedules, and it often makes trying new coping practices between appointments easier to organize.