Shaela Amaya, LMHC

Shaela Amaya is a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) based in New York who helps people manage stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, depression, and relationship concerns. She also supports people coping with trauma and abuse, ADHD, and major life changes. Shaela’s tone is warm and direct, and she aims to make difficult topics easier to talk about.

Shaela uses practical, evidence-informed methods in sessions. She mixes Client-Centered Therapy with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and elements of Dialectical Behavior Therapy and mindfulness. That means sessions often focus on clear goals, skill practice, and weighing options to solve everyday problems.

Her approach is interactive and respectful. She listens first, then works with each person to set realistic steps forward. Sessions may include skill-building for anxiety and mood, communication practice for relationship strain, and strategies for coping with caregiver stress or ADHD-related challenges.

Shaela has three years of clinical experience working with a wide range of concerns, including adoption and foster care issues, attachment questions, OCD, workplace difficulties, and women's issues. She emphasizes collaboration and practical tools rather than technical jargon.

To begin, Shaela asks people to identify what they most want to change and what feels manageable. From there she helps create a focused plan that fits daily life and priorities. Her style aims to empower people to take steady steps toward feeling better.

How therapeutic approaches translate to online care

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on the person’s experience and the relationship in the room. It emphasizes listening, empathy, and letting the client set the pace and goals. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors link together and uses clear exercises and practice to change unhelpful patterns. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) brings in skills for emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and improving relationships, which can help with intense emotions and recurring patterns.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will review goals and try out methods together to see what helps most. That collaborative process means the plan can change as needs and preferences become clearer.

The practical benefits of online therapy include fitting sessions into a busy day and reducing time spent traveling. Online work can make it easier to schedule brief check-ins or regular weekly sessions around caregiving or job duties. Because the listing does not specify session formats, confirm the current options before booking so you know how sessions will be delivered.