- Emotionally-Focused Therapy
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- Client-centered care
About Shobana
Shobana Shanmugavelayutham is an Illinois licensed clinical professional counselor (LCPC) with five years of experience. She works with people facing stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, low self-esteem, depression, addictions, family concerns, anger, life changes, and ADHD. Sessions are conducted in English and international clients are accepted.
Shobana frames the client as the expert in their own life. She listens for strengths and patterns that can be built on. Conversations focus on practical changes and clearer ways to name painful feelings.
Her approach often draws on Emotionally-Focused Therapy to look at emotional patterns in relationships and attachment. She also uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people notice thoughts and take values-based action. These methods are used to address everyday stress as well as deeper losses or trauma.
In sessions she uses client-centered listening to help people feel understood and to guide next steps. Work might include slowing down to name an emotion, practicing a new response to stress, or trying a small behavior change between meetings. She also addresses multicultural and immigration-related concerns and hospice or end-of-life questions when they arise.
Her style is straightforward and practical. People who want to talk through current challenges, learn tools for coping, and test out new ways of reacting may find this approach helpful.
How her approaches translate to online work
Shobana commonly uses Emotionally-Focused Therapy to help people notice and name core emotions and how those emotions shape important relationships. EFT can be useful for understanding attachment patterns and for naming difficult feelings that are hard to say out loud.She also draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help people clarify what matters to them and take small committed actions toward those values. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is used to notice unhelpful thoughts and try practical behavior experiments to reduce distress.
Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. She will talk with clients about their goals and preferences and try approaches that fit the situation. Decisions about method and pace are made together and adjusted as work progresses.
Session formats are not listed in the original biography, so confirm current session options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy around work or family commitments, allow for a quicker check-in when needed, and reduce commuting time. If a shorter or less visual meeting would help, mention that when scheduling so options can be discussed.
Areas of expertise
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
5+ years
Listed in
Illinois
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she address?
She works with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, self-esteem, depression, addictions, family issues, anger, coping with life changes, and ADHD.
What therapeutic approaches does she use?
Her stated approaches include Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Attachment-Based Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
How much experience does she have?
She has five years of professional experience working as a clinician.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She holds an LCPC credential and practices in Illinois.
Which languages are supported?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can international clients work with her?
Yes, she accepts international clients.
How does payment and cost work?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin a first session?
Use the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Profile details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. Credential and registration rules differ between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.