- Warm collaborative style
- Practical coping skills
- Focus on relationships
About Gretchen
Gretchen Shay is a licensed clinical social worker who helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, relationship struggles, addictions, and codependency. She works with people coping with grief, parenting strain, eating concerns, trauma and compassion fatigue. Her tone is warm and straightforward and she focuses on practical changes that make daily life easier.
Gretchen holds LCSW and LICSW credentials, and brings 14 years of experience as a social worker and therapist. She has supported people through medical diagnoses and the stresses that come with caregiving and end-of-life issues. Her background includes work with a wide range of concerns across the lifespan.
Her style is interactive and respectful. Sessions are collaborative conversations where the person sets goals and Gretchen tailors the plan to those goals. She avoids stigmatizing labels and aims to build understanding before suggesting strategies.
Gretchen draws on several practical approaches, including client-centered listening, cognitive-behavioral tools to shift unhelpful thinking, emotionally-focused work to address relationship patterns, motivational interviewing to strengthen change, and narrative techniques to reframe difficult stories. She blends these to fit each person's needs.
People who come to her can expect clear options, doable steps, and a focus on what helps day to day. She encourages small experiments between sessions and checks progress regularly. The goal is steady, manageable change rather than quick fixes.
How therapeutic approaches translate to online work
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening closely and following the person's lead. In practice this means the therapist asks about what matters most and shapes sessions around those priorities, which helps when someone feels overwhelmed by life changes or relationship strain.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at patterns of thinking and behavior that keep problems going. It offers concrete exercises and experiments to try between sessions, which can be useful for tackling anxiety, depression, and codependency patterns.
Emotionally-Focused Therapy concentrates on identifying and reshaping emotional responses, especially in close relationships. This approach helps people see how attachment and hurt feelings shape reactions and find new ways to connect or set boundaries.
Finding the most helpful approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with the person to choose and adapt methods based on their goals, comfort, and what proves effective in early sessions. That process is flexible and revisited as goals change.
If you are considering online therapy, check which session options the therapist currently offers before booking. Many people find online sessions easier to fit into a busy week, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and let them use exercises at home between meetings. Confirming formats beforehand helps pick sessions that fit your schedule and daily life.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
14+ years
Credentials
Alabama, Illinois
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she help with?
She supports people with stress, anxiety, depression, addictions, relationship issues, grief, parenting challenges, eating concerns, trauma and compassion fatigue, among other issues.
How would you describe her therapy style?
Her style is warm and interactive. Sessions are collaborative and tailored to the person's goals, with practical steps and respectful conversation.
What experience does she bring?
Gretchen has 14 years of experience as a social worker and therapist, including work with people facing medical diagnoses, caregiving, and end-of-life issues.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She holds LCSW and LICSW credentials and practices in Alabama.
Can I work with her if I live outside the United States?
Sessions are offered in English and she is not accepting international clients at this time.
What session formats are available?
Session formats were not specified in the biography; confirm current session options with the service before booking.
How are fees and payment handled?
Cost varies by location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I get started with therapy?
Select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.
Profile details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. Credential and registration rules differ between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.