Shari Schaffer , LMFT

Shari Schaffer is a licensed marriage and family therapist who has practiced in Texas for more than 15 years. She has worked in clinical and educational settings and supports people facing anxiety, depression, stress, addiction, and mood disorders. Shari also helps clients who are coping with trauma or emotional abuse and people navigating relationship and intimacy concerns.

Her approach is warm and interactive. Sessions focus on listening first and then building practical steps that fit each person's life. She tailors the plan to what feels most useful, whether that means short-term problem solving or deeper exploration of personal patterns.

Shari blends several ways of working so therapy focuses on the person rather than a single method. She uses client-centered and existential ideas to help people find meaning and agency. Mindfulness and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy tools are used to handle difficult feelings and build habits that support daily functioning.

Motivational interviewing and narrative techniques appear when people need to shift long-standing behaviors or reframe painful life stories. These tools are often paired with straightforward communication work for relationship or parenting concerns.

People who come to Shari commonly want clearer boundaries, better communication skills, or relief from lingering anxiety and grief. She aims to make sessions respectful, practical, and focused on steps people can try between meetings.

How Shari's Approaches Translate to Online Work

Shari commonly integrates Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Client-Centered Therapy when working with people online. ACT focuses on accepting difficult feelings while committing to values-driven actions, which can help with anxiety, depression, and coping with life changes. Client-centered work centers the person in the conversation, emphasizing empathetic listening and collaboration to help people feel heard and understood.

She may also draw on Mindfulness Therapy to teach breathing, grounding, and attention skills that reduce reactivity and improve emotional regulation. These practices are easy to try during a video or phone session and can be reinforced between meetings through short exercises.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will help determine what methods fit your goals and preferences and will adapt techniques as needs change. Sessions are collaborative and focused on practical next steps you can try outside of sessions.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video is useful for face-to-face conversation and doing exercises together. Phone calls work well when bandwidth or camera use is limited. Live chat or messaging can be used for brief check-ins, more frequent support, or when writing feels easier than speaking. These options aim to make therapy more flexible and accessible for different schedules and needs.