John Shafer, LCSW

John Shafer is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LCSW, practicing in New York with 25 years of experience. He works with a wide range of concerns including stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, addictions, grief, parenting, and anger. He also lists work around intimacy, self-esteem, career issues, ADHD, and compassion fatigue.

Shafer trained at Syracuse University and has worked in rural community mental health, school-based mental health, city, and suburban settings. That range gave him experience with many age groups and life stages, from children to people in their nineties. He also worked with people from different socioeconomic backgrounds and made ongoing efforts to improve cultural competence.

He uses several practical therapy methods. Those he commonly draws on include Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, mindfulness, narrative approaches, strengths-based work, and solution-focused techniques. He describes his approach as collaborative and client-centered, focusing on clear goals people want to reach.

In sessions he offers a mix of individual work, couples sessions, and group formats, all aimed at helping people notice patterns, try new responses, and practice skills between meetings. The emphasis is on everyday tools - managing strong feelings, improving communication, and reducing distress that gets in the way of daily life.

People seeking help for anger, relationship strain, coping with life changes, or burnout may find his experience helpful. He frames therapy as a practical process that identifies what is getting in the way and builds skills to respond differently.

How his approaches translate to online work