- 20 years experience
- Person-centered approach
- Integrates spiritual beliefs
About Brian
Dr. Brian Shaffer is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor with two decades of experience. He focuses on helping people cope with stress, anxiety, addiction, grief, depression, relationship strain, and issues related to intimacy and self-esteem. He brings a practical, person-centered style to sessions and keeps conversations direct and focused on clients' goals.
He uses a mix of therapeutic approaches to meet each person's needs, drawing on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, cognitive behavioral strategies, attachment-based thinking, dialectical behavior concepts, and a client-centered stance. Sessions often include talking through past trauma and identifying the patterns that keep problems in place. He pays attention to spiritual beliefs when clients want those included in their work.
Brian has worked in mental health, addiction, trauma, grief and spiritual care across settings for 20 years. That background shapes how he structures treatment plans and relapse prevention work. He emphasizes practical skills alongside reflection, helping people build tools they can use between sessions.
People who come for help with ADHD, bipolar mood concerns, eating issues, anger, caregiving stress, chronic illness, or codependency will find experience relevant to those topics. He also notes experience with kink and alternative sex culture topics and attachment or abandonment concerns.
His practice is located in Pennsylvania and sessions are offered in English. International clients are accepted, and prospective clients are asked to confirm current session options before booking.
He uses a mix of therapeutic approaches to meet each person's needs, drawing on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, cognitive behavioral strategies, attachment-based thinking, dialectical behavior concepts, and a client-centered stance. Sessions often include talking through past trauma and identifying the patterns that keep problems in place. He pays attention to spiritual beliefs when clients want those included in their work.
Brian has worked in mental health, addiction, trauma, grief and spiritual care across settings for 20 years. That background shapes how he structures treatment plans and relapse prevention work. He emphasizes practical skills alongside reflection, helping people build tools they can use between sessions.
People who come for help with ADHD, bipolar mood concerns, eating issues, anger, caregiving stress, chronic illness, or codependency will find experience relevant to those topics. He also notes experience with kink and alternative sex culture topics and attachment or abandonment concerns.
His practice is located in Pennsylvania and sessions are offered in English. International clients are accepted, and prospective clients are asked to confirm current session options before booking.
Therapeutic approaches and online care that fit your life
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, focuses on helping people notice unhelpful thoughts and choose actions that match their values. It can help with anxiety, depression, addiction, and coping with life changes. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationships shape patterns in adult connections and can be useful for intimacy, abandonment, and relationship concerns. Client-Centered Therapy prioritizes the client's experience and pacing, providing a respectful space where the therapist follows the person's lead and supports self-directed change.Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to figure out which methods match their goals, needs, and preferences. That means trying things, checking in, and adjusting the plan together as the work unfolds.
The biography does not specify which online session formats are offered, so confirm current options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit counseling into a busy week, shorten commute time, or allow a quieter check-in during a break. It can also let people include a therapist's support when they live outside the region. Licensed professionals can adapt ACT, attachment-focused work, and client-centered conversations to an online setting so clients can practice skills and reflect between sessions.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Relationship issuesFamily conflictsTrauma and abuseIntimacy-related issuesEating disordersAnger managementSelf esteemCareer difficultiesBipolar disorderCoping with life changesCoachingCompassion fatigueADHD
Additional focus areas
AbandonmentAging and geriatric issuesAttachment issuesAvoidant personalityBDSM, kink, and alternative sex cultureBlended family issuesBody imageCancerCaregiver issues and stressChronic pain, illness, and disabilityCo-morbidityCodependencyCommunication problemsControl issuesCoping with natural or human-caused disasterDependent personalityDivorce and separationDrug and alcohol addictionEating and food-related issuesEmptinessFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsFirst responder issuesForgivenessGender dysphoriaGuilt and shameHIV / AIDSHoardingHospice and end-of-life counselingImpulsivityInfidelityIsolation / lonelinessJealousyLife purposeMen's issuesMidlife crisisVeteran and Armed Forces IssuesMoney and financial issuesMood disordersMulticultural concernsObsessions, compulsions, and OCDPanic disorder and panic attacksPolyamory / non-monogamous relationshipsPostpartum depressionPost-traumatic stressPrejudice and discriminationProcess addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-harmSelf-loveSex addictionSexual assault and abuseSexualitySocial anxiety and phobiaTraumatic brain injuryWorkplace issuesYoung adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)Attachment-Based TherapyClient-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)Existential TherapyEye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)Jungian TherapyMindfulness TherapyMotivational InterviewingNarrative TherapyPsychodynamic TherapySolution-Focused TherapyTrauma-Focused Therapy
Experience
20+ years
Credentials
Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does this therapist help with?
He helps people with stress, anxiety, addictions, grief, depression, relationship and intimacy-related issues, self-esteem, ADHD, bipolar concerns, and many related challenges.
What is the therapy style like?
He uses a person-centered style combined with evidence-informed methods so sessions focus on the client's goals and practical steps forward.
How much clinical experience does he have?
He has 20 years of experience working in mental health, addiction, trauma, grief, loss and spiritual care settings.
What credentials and location are listed?
He holds LCMHC and LCPC credentials and practices in Pennsylvania.
Which languages are supported and can international clients connect?
Sessions are offered in English and international clients are accepted.
What session formats are available?
The biography does not list specific formats. Please confirm current session options before booking.
How are sessions priced?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working together?
Click the continue button on this profile, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule according to the therapist's availability.