Shelley Janz , LCSW

Shelley Janz is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) practicing in Wisconsin with 20 years of experience supporting individuals and couples. She has spent more than a decade focused on grief, loss, and end-of-life concerns, and brings that depth of experience to a broad range of emotional and relational challenges.

Shelley works with people facing anxiety, stress, depression, relationship and family difficulties, addictions, trauma and abuse, and intimacy-related issues. Her practice also addresses parenting, anger, self-esteem, career questions, compassion fatigue, ADHD, and life transitions. Additional areas of focus include abandonment, blended family dynamics, caregiver stress, chronic pain and illness, codependency, communication and control issues, divorce and separation, family of origin matters, forgiveness, and first responder concerns. She has experience working with LGBT clients and with law enforcement and first responder groups.

Her counseling style is person-centered and rooted in inclusivity and compassion. Shelley collaborates with clients to identify goals and then develops individualized treatment plans to address those goals. She is professionally trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Solutions-Focused Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing, and tailors techniques to fit each person rather than relying on a single method. She emphasizes respectful, nonjudgmental care for clients of all ages, genders, sexual orientations, and races.

Shelley seeks to support people as they navigate difficult emotions and life changes, offering guidance and practical tools to move toward greater well-being and clarity.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care

Shelley integrates client-centered therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) into her online practice. Client-centered therapy emphasizes a compassionate, nonjudgmental stance and helps clients explore their values and goals while building self-awareness and resilience. CBT focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors to reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress and to improve daily functioning. DBT teaches skills for emotion regulation, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and mindfulness, which can be particularly helpful for people managing intense emotions, relationship challenges, or patterns of impulsive behavior.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Shelley works with each person to assess needs, preferences, and goals and then tailors therapy techniques accordingly, adjusting the plan as progress and circumstances evolve. Clients and the licensed professional partner to determine what works best.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility - sessions can take place by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging - making it easier to fit care into busy schedules, manage mobility or geographic limitations, and maintain continuity of support. Therapists often use these modalities to deliver the same evidence-informed strategies they apply in person, adapted to each client's life and needs.