- Stress and anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Parenting support
About Allyson
Allyson Shaffer is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) in the District of Columbia and a Licensed Certified Social Worker-Clinical (LCSW-C) in Maryland with 20 years of clinical experience. She focuses on concerns such as stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and family issues, parenting, grief, trauma and compassion fatigue. Allyson works with people facing social anxiety and phobia among other worries that make everyday interactions hard. She uses straightforward conversation and practical supports to help people take initial steps toward change.
Allyson believes clients know their own story and brings that perspective into sessions. She helps people identify strengths they already have and apply them to current problems. Sessions tend to center on what is happening now and on building doable skills for coping with anxiety, panic attacks, or intense situations.
With two decades of practice, Allyson draws on a range of evidence-based therapeutic techniques while keeping the focus concrete. She talks through communication patterns, family-of-origin concerns, and caregiving stress. She also addresses issues tied to adoption and foster care, attachment, and multicultural stressors.
People meet with her to work on managing panic, reducing isolation, handling grief, and navigating career or parenting pressures. She supports those handling prejudice or discrimination-related stress and the emotional fallout of divorce or separation. Her approach is practical and direct, aimed at small, achievable changes.
Allyson offers services in English and practices from Maryland. Prospective clients should use the site's matching steps to view current session options and scheduling details.
Therapeutic approaches and remote sessions
Allyson draws on evidence-based therapeutic techniques that focus on skills and present-day problems. One common approach she uses helps people learn specific coping skills for anxiety and panic attacks, teaching ways to reduce immediate distress and respond differently in triggering situations. Another approach emphasizes improving communication and relationship patterns by identifying how interactions repeat and then practicing clearer, more effective ways to say what matters.Choosing the best approach is a collaborative process. Allyson will work with each person to decide which methods fit their needs, goals, and preferences and will adjust the plan as progress and circumstances change.
Session formats are not listed in the biography, so confirm current options before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed. It also lets people meet with licensed professionals from their own routines without rearranging major parts of the day.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Experience
20+ years
Listed in
District of Columbia, Maryland
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does she help with?
She helps people with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and family problems, grief, trauma, parenting strain, and social anxiety and phobia.
What is her therapeutic style?
Her style is practical and collaborative, focusing on current problems and building skills to handle anxious moments and difficult interactions.
How much experience does she have?
She has 20 years of professional clinical experience working with a range of concerns from panic attacks to caregiver stress.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She holds LICSW in the District of Columbia and LCSW-C in Maryland, and she practices from Maryland.
Can I work with her if English is not my first language?
Sessions are offered in English.
Does she accept clients outside the U.S.?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
How are sessions scheduled and paid for?
Session cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule a first session.