Amelia (Markert) Shaw, LCSW

Amelia (Markert) Shaw is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) in Virginia who uses a collaborative, person-centered approach. She focuses on helping people handle stress, anxiety, relationship strain, trauma and abuse, low self-esteem, depression, and substance concerns. Her style is warm and straightforward, aimed at making first steps less intimidating for someone thinking about counseling.

She blends practical strategies with deep listening to meet people where they are. Sessions often involve looking at current patterns, trying small changes, and noticing how thoughts affect feelings and behavior. Amelia emphasizes realistic goals and step-by-step plans that fit everyday life.

With 12 years of experience, she has worked with a wide range of concerns including grief, parenting stress, sleep and eating issues, career transitions, ADHD, and compassion fatigue. Additional focuses include abandonment, attachment concerns, caregiver stress, chronic illness and disability, and communication problems. This breadth helps her tailor interventions to each person’s situation.

Her clinical approaches include Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT). These methods shape how she supports people to notice difficult thoughts, build new coping skills, and strengthen emotional connections where needed.

Amelia invites those who are uncertain about counseling to take a small step. She works with clients to set clear, attainable intentions for change. The goal is practical progress you can use between sessions.

How Amelia’s Approaches Translate to Online Therapy

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice painful thoughts and choose actions that match their values. Online sessions can guide practical exercises to clarify what matters and try small behavior changes between appointments. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing new behaviors to change mood and reactions. In virtual sessions, CBT often uses worksheets, brief experiments, and homework that fit into daily routines. Client-Centered Therapy centers on listening and empathy so people feel understood and can explore their concerns at their own pace. That supportive stance shapes how sessions are paced and topics are prioritized.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. Amelia will talk with the client about goals and preferences, then suggest methods to try. She treats this as a collaborative process and adjusts plans if something does not fit or produce the desired progress.

The practical benefits of online therapy include easier scheduling around work or caregiving, fewer travel needs, and the ability to use digital tools like worksheets or brief check-ins between sessions. Because session formats were not specified in the biography, confirm current session options before booking to learn which formats are offered. Online work aims to fit therapy into daily life while focusing on skills, emotional clarity, and concrete steps toward change.