About Shaela
Shaela Amaya is a licensed mental health counselor who helps people facing depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, relationship and family stress, trauma, anger, and ADHD. She works with people navigating life changes, workplace strain, parenting and foster care questions, and obsessive or compulsive thoughts. Sessions focus on practical skills and steady support.
She uses a warm, interactive style in sessions. Conversations are respectful and down-to-earth. Shaela listens first, then helps people set small, doable goals they can try between meetings.
Background and approach
Her work draws on cognitive behavioral methods to change unhelpful thinking and behavior. She also uses mindfulness skills to reduce stress and DBT techniques to manage intense emotions. Emotion-focused ideas help people understand and improve how they connect with others.
Shaela builds a plan to match each person’s situation and goals. That plan may include short-term tools for coping and longer-term steps for deeper change. She explains approaches simply so people know what to expect.
She trained and practices as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, abbreviated LMHC, in New York. Over three years she has supported people with a wide range of concerns, including issues related to adoption and foster care, trauma and abuse, domestic violence, and workplace problems. Shaela aims to empower people to make changes that fit their life and values.
If someone is ready to take a step toward feeling better, Shaela offers grounded support and clear next steps to get started.
How these approaches translate to online therapy
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and building a trusting relationship. In practice that means sessions begin with the person’s priorities and the therapist reflects understanding so people feel heard and respected. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, helps identify unhelpful thoughts and adds new strategies to change behavior and mood; it is often used for anxiety, depression, and obsessive thinking. Dialectical Behavior Therapy, DBT, teaches emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal skills to manage intense feelings and improve communication.Finding the right approach is part of the work. Shaela will talk with each person about goals and preferences, then suggest methods to try together. That collaborative process lets the plan change as progress is made and as needs shift.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and shared exercises. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth or visual focus is limited. Live chat or text messaging can be useful for brief check-ins, quick skill practice, and people who prefer writing over speaking. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules and to choose what feels most comfortable.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
Also works with
- ADHD
- Adoption and foster care
- Anger management
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- Body image
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Domestic violence
- Family conflicts
- Forgiveness
- Immigration issues
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Relationship issues
- Stress, Anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 3 years
- Licensed
- New York
- Languages
- English