At a glance
- Credentials
- LCSW
- License
- LCSW, Pennsylvania / CW018289
- NPI
- 1720345986
- Experience
- 23 years
- Languages
- English
- Location
- Pennsylvania
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
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- Motivational approach
- Attachment focus
- Practical coping skills
About Shellby
Shellby Custer is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) with 23 years of experience helping people move through stress, anxiety, depression, and trauma. She focuses on practical steps that make daily life easier and helps clients reconnect with what matters to them. Her work centers on building stronger coping skills and a clearer sense of purpose.
She often supports people managing relationship strain, parenting stress, career challenges, addiction concerns, and mood disorders including bipolar and seasonal mood shifts. Shellby pays close attention to how past attachments and family of origin issues shape current patterns. She also addresses grief, intimacy-related concerns, and challenges tied to chronic illness or pain.
Shellby uses Motivational Interviewing to help people find the motivation to change. She also draws on attachment-based ideas to look at relational patterns and on cognitive behavioral therapy to identify unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. Mindfulness and narrative work are woven in to help clients notice patterns and rewrite difficult stories about themselves.
Sessions aim to be straightforward and practical. People leave with concrete strategies to try between meetings and a clearer sense of next steps. The approach is collaborative - goals come from the client and progress is tracked together.
Shellby practices in Pennsylvania and conducts work in English. She supports a wide range of concerns including ADHD, compassion fatigue, sexual assault recovery, and feelings of emptiness or guilt. To begin, readers can use the site’s Start Therapy process to match and schedule according to availability.
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How therapeutic approaches shape online work
Motivational Interviewing helps people clear mixed feelings about change and find personal reasons to try new behaviors. It uses short conversations and reflective questions to build commitment step by step and can help with addictions, motivation for self-care, and behavior change related to health or mood.
Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationships influence current patterns. It helps clients notice repeating relationship habits, understand emotional triggers, and practice different ways of connecting that feel safer and more satisfying.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, focuses on the thoughts and behaviors that keep problems going. It helps people identify unhelpful thinking, test those ideas, and try small behavior changes that reduce anxiety, lift mood, and improve daily functioning.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to choose methods that match goals, needs, and preferences. That plan can shift over time as progress is made and priorities change.
Confirm the current online session options before booking, as the biography does not list specific formats. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when life is hectic. It can also let people use video or phone in ways that best support their focus and comfort while they work on motivation, relationships, and daily coping skills. -
Areas of expertise
Also works with
AddictionsRelationship issuesFamily conflictsGriefIntimacy-related issuesSleeping disordersParenting issuesAnger managementCareer difficultiesBipolar disorderCoachingCompassion fatigueADHDAdditional focus areas
AbandonmentAttachment issuesChronic pain, illness, and disabilityEmptinessFamily of origin issuesForgivenessGuilt and shameIsolation / lonelinessLife purposeMood disordersPersonality disordersPost-traumatic stressSeasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-loveSexual assault and abuseSocial anxiety and phobiaWomen's issuesYoung adult issuesTherapeutic approaches
Attachment-Based TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Mindfulness TherapyMotivational InterviewingNarrative TherapyPsychodynamic TherapySolution-Focused TherapyTrauma-Focused TherapyInternal Family SystemsExperience
23+ years
Listed in
Pennsylvania
Languages
English
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Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she address?
She helps people with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, and addictions. Other focuses include relationship strain, parenting stress, grief, and mood disorders such as bipolar and seasonal affective disorder.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her style is collaborative and goal-oriented. She uses Motivational Interviewing to build motivation and mixes in cognitive and mindfulness techniques to develop concrete skills.
What is her background and experience?
She has 23 years of clinical experience working with adults on complex emotional and life challenges. Her work emphasizes rebuilding self-esteem and addressing attachment and family of origin issues.
What credentials and location are on file?
She holds the credential LCSW, which stands for Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and practices in Pennsylvania.
In which language are sessions offered?
Sessions are offered in English. International clients are not currently accepted.
What session formats are available?
The original biography does not list specific session formats. Please confirm current session options before booking.
How is cost handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability, and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I get started?
Use the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.
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Online talk therapy is not emergency or medical care. Stopping or cutting down alcohol or other drugs can be unsafe without medical advice. In immediate danger? Crisis numbers