- Stress and anxiety
- Trauma informed care
- Life change coping
About Shirley
Shirley Cayko is a Montana-licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) with 18 years of professional experience. She works with adults who are dealing with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, motivation and self-esteem concerns, and major life changes. Shirley also supports people facing mood concerns such as depression and bipolar disorder and addresses relationship strain and grief.
Her practice focuses on clear, direct conversation about what is causing distress and what practical changes might help. Sessions tend to be straightforward and goal-focused, with time spent identifying patterns, testing new ways of coping, and building small skills that can be used between meetings. She uses familiar approaches such as cognitive behavioral work and mindfulness to help people manage upsetting thoughts and strong emotions.
Shirley also draws on client-centered and dialectical methods to keep discussions grounded in the person’s values and current needs. That can mean tracking reactions to stress, practicing emotion regulation strategies, or looking at meaning and purpose after a life shift. She pays attention to how identity and relationship issues affect daily functioning.
Her additional areas include aging and geriatric concerns, caregiver stress, chronic illness and pain, immigration issues, gender dysphoria, and end-of-life and hospice-related concerns. She applies practical tools when navigating divorce, infidelity, communication problems, dissociation, and shame.
Sessions are conducted in English. Shirley asks new clients to complete a short matching questionnaire to begin and to schedule a first appointment through the counselor platform.
How her approaches translate to online work
Client-Centered Therapy places the client's concerns and goals at the center of sessions. It focuses on listening, reflecting what matters most, and shaping the work around the person's priorities. This approach helps when someone needs clearer direction after a major change.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) targets unhelpful thinking and teaches concrete skills for coping. It involves identifying patterns of thought, testing them in everyday life, and practicing new behaviors to reduce anxiety or low mood. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) adds practical emotion regulation and distress tolerance strategies useful for strong emotions and relationship stress.
Finding the right approach is part of the process. Shirley works collaboratively to match techniques to a client's goals, needs, and preferences. That means trying methods, reviewing what helps, and adjusting the plan as the work unfolds.
Confirm the current session formats before booking, as the biography does not list specific options. Online sessions can make it easier to fit care into a busy life by reducing travel time, offering shorter check-ins when helpful, or allowing sessions during a work break. Therapists and licensed professionals commonly use a mix of conversational work, skill practice, and between-session tasks that translate well to remote meetings.
Areas of expertise
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
18+ years
Listed in
Montana
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, self-esteem, coping with life changes, mood concerns like depression and bipolar, relationship strain, grief, anger, and related issues.
How would she approach feeling stuck or directionless?
Her style uses clear conversation, goal-focused work, and practical skills. She often combines cognitive behavioral techniques with mindfulness and client-centered discussion to test small changes.
How much experience does she have?
She has 18 years of professional experience working with adults across a range of stress and mood-related concerns.
What are her credentials and location?
She is an LCSW licensed in Montana and practices with that credential.
Does she offer sessions in other languages or to international clients?
Sessions are offered in English. She is not accepting international clients at this time.
What session formats are available?
Confirm current session options before booking by checking the platform details, as formats are not specified in the biography.
How much do sessions cost?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger, use the crisis numbers.