- Licensed inMichigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania
- License6401018488, CP3204-R, 3306, PC015782
- NPI 1255857439
- Experience20+ years
- LanguagesEnglish
Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check any license with the state board and any NPI with the national registry.
About Brian
Dr. Brian Shaffer draws on Attachment-based ideas to help people understand how past connections shape present feelings and reactions. He combines that focus with practical therapies to address stress, anxiety, addiction, grief, depression, and related struggles.
Dr. Shaffer is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor with twenty years of clinical experience in mental health and addiction care. He works in a person-centered way, starting where each client is and listening for what matters most.
Background and approach
Sessions often include talking through painful memories, clarifying values, and practicing skills to manage strong emotions. He pays attention to how relationships and attachment patterns affect intimacy, trust, and communication. Dr.
Shaffer has long worked with people facing trauma, loss, and substance use concerns. He also supports those dealing with career strain, caregiving stress, chronic illness, body image, and identity questions, including LGBT-related issues. He adapts methods to fit the person rather than forcing a single model.
Practical tools from cognitive behavioral approaches and skills training may be used alongside acceptance-based strategies to help people handle difficult thoughts and urges. The goal is to build coping practices that make daily life easier and more manageable. He incorporates clients' spiritual beliefs into care when that is important to them.
Sessions are offered in English and Dr. Shaffer is based in Pennsylvania. He accepts international clients and has experience helping people move from crisis toward steadier routines and clearer goals.
Credentials
- LPC (Michigan)
- License 6401018488 · expires July 2027
- LCPC (Nevada)
- License CP3204-R · expires January 2028
- LCMHC (New Hampshire)
- License 3306 · expires June 2028
- LPC (Pennsylvania)
- License PC015782 · expires February 2027
- NPI
- 1255857439 · national provider identifier
Both are public records. A state board register will confirm a license and its standing, and the national registry will confirm an NPI. This directory copies what the therapist lists and checks neither.
Focus areas and approaches
Everything Brian lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- LGBT
- Grief
- Depression
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Intimacy-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Coping with life changes
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Attachment issues
- Avoidant personality
- BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Divorce and separation
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Guilt and shame
- HIV / AIDS
- Hoarding
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Traumatic brain injury
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Brian names
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Existential Therapy
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Jungian Therapy
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
Naming an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist lists and does not check training records.
Online support
Attachment and Skills-Based Work Online
Attachment-based ideas focus on how early relationships shape current patterns of trust, closeness, and emotional safety; online work explores these patterns through talk, reflection, and relational examples to help people understand triggers and improve connections. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) emphasizes noticing thoughts and feelings without being led by them, and then choosing actions that match personal values; this can help with anxiety, substance use urges, and life changes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and teaches practical strategies to change unhelpful patterns and reduce distress.Finding the right approach is collaborative. The therapist will discuss goals, try methods that fit the client's style, and adjust based on what helps. Clients often combine approaches - for example using CBT skills for immediate coping alongside attachment work for deeper relational patterns.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, offering flexibility for different needs. Video calls work well for full sessions with visual cues, phone sessions can fit a shorter check-in or lower bandwidth, live chat and messaging allow frequent brief contacts or ongoing coaching, and text can be used for quick support between sessions. These options make it easier to fit care into busy schedules and to keep consistent momentum toward goals.
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Frequently asked
What kinds of concerns does he address?
He helps people with stress, anxiety, addictions, grief, depression, trauma and related issues like intimacy, eating concerns, anger, and self-esteem.
What is his general approach in sessions?
He uses a person-centered approach that draws on attachment ideas, acceptance strategies, and cognitive-behavioral techniques to tailor work to each person's needs.
How much clinical experience does he have?
He has twenty years of experience in mental health, addiction, trauma, grief, loss and spiritual care.
What are his credentials and where is he located?
He holds the LCMHC and LCPC credentials and practices out of Pennsylvania.
Can I work with him if I live outside the United States?
International clients are accepted and sessions are offered in English.
What session formats are available?
He offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different needs and schedules.
How are fees handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with him?
Click the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, then schedule sessions according to therapist availability.
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