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LCSW

Shelly Flachs, LCSW

  • Experience12 years
  • LocationIllinois
  • Focus areasStress and Anxiety, Trauma and abuse, and Grief
  • Therapy approachesInternal Family Systems and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
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About Shelly

Shelly Flachs is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with 12 years of clinical experience who centers her work on Internal Family Systems alongside evidence-based therapies.

Background and approach

She brings a strengths-focused stance to sessions, helping clients explore internal parts, regulate emotions, and develop practical strategies for coping with stress, anxiety, trauma, mood challenges, addictions, and relationship or intimacy concerns. Her practice emphasizes collaboration and respect for each person's history and values while building skills that support everyday functioning.

Working from approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Emotionally-Focused and Mindfulness therapies, she adapts methods to match individual needs rather than using a one-size-fits-all plan.

Shelly offers guidance for issues that include grief, bipolar disorder, depression, ADHD, eating and sleeping concerns, career stress, and compassion fatigue, along with additional focuses like attachment, caregiver stress, chronic illness, and body image. She practices in Illinois and communicates in English, providing flexible session formats including video calls, phone, live chat, and text-based messaging.

To begin, clients complete a brief matching questionnaire and schedule according to availability, with subscription-based sessions that can be canceled at any time.

Integrating Parts Work and Skills-Based Therapy Online

Internal Family Systems is centered on exploring inner parts and cultivating a compassionate relationship with those parts to reduce internal conflict and support healing; it can be useful for trauma responses, anxiety, and self-critical patterns. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying and shifting unhelpful thoughts and behaviors through structured techniques, which helps with depression, anxiety, and habit change. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) teaches emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness skills to manage intense emotions and improve relationships.

Choosing the right approach is part of the therapeutic process, and Shelly collaborates with clients to determine which methods fit their goals, preferences, and life circumstances. Together they explore how parts work and skills training can be combined or adapted over time to meet changing needs, with regular check-ins to refine the plan.

Online therapy formats including video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging offer flexibility for scheduling and consistent access to care from different settings. These options make it easier to maintain momentum between sessions, practice new skills in real life, and access support that fits around work, family, and other commitments while working with licensed professionals.

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of concerns does Shelly address in therapy
Shelly works with a wide range of concerns including stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, bipolar disorder, depression, addictions, relationship and intimacy issues, eating and sleeping problems, parenting and career stress, and coping with life changes.
Which therapeutic styles shape her work
Her work draws on Internal Family Systems as well as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Emotionally-Focused Therapy, and Mindfulness Therapy to combine parts work with skills and emotional processing.
How long has she practiced clinical social work
She has 12 years of experience as a clinician, bringing that background to personalized treatment planning and skill development.
Where is she licensed and based
Shelly holds the LCSW credential and practices in Illinois; her license details are IL LCSW 149.017053 and ME LCSW LC15258 as provided.
Does she provide services in other languages or to international clients
Sessions are offered in English only, and she is not currently accepting international clients.
What session formats are available for online work
Clients may meet via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging, allowing several ways to engage based on preference.
How is cost and billing handled
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What are the steps to begin therapy
To get started, select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Stress, AnxietyTrauma and abuseGriefBipolar disorderDepression

Also works with

AddictionsLGBTRelationship issuesFamily conflictsIntimacy-related issuesEating disordersSleeping disordersParenting issuesAnger managementSelf esteemCareer difficultiesCoping with life changesCoachingCompassion fatigueADHD

Additional focus areas

AbandonmentAging and geriatric issuesAntisocial personalityAttachment issuesAutism and Asperger SyndromeAvoidant personalityBody imageCaregiver issues and stressChronic pain, illness, and disabilityCodependencyCommitment issuesCommunication problemsControl issuesCoping with natural or human-caused disasterDependent personalityDissociationDivorce and separationDomestic violenceDrug and alcohol addictionEating and food-related issuesEmptinessFamily of origin issuesFertility issuesForgivenessGuilt and shameHoardingIntellectual disabilityIsolation / lonelinessJealousyLife purposeMood disordersObsessions, compulsions, and OCDPanic disorder and panic attacksParanoiaPersonality disordersPhobiasPostpartum depressionPost-traumatic stressSeasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-harmSelf-loveSexual assault and abuseSocial anxiety and phobiaWomen's issuesWorkplace issues

Therapeutic approaches

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)Mindfulness TherapyMotivational InterviewingNarrative TherapyPsychodynamic TherapySolution-Focused TherapyTrauma-Focused TherapyInternal Family Systems

Experience

12+ years

Licensed

Illinois, Maine, Missouri, Iowa

Languages

English