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About Shelley

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Education

  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, BA

  • University of Georgia School of Law, JD

  • Georgia State University, MS, Clinical Mental Health Counseling

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Professional Experience​

  • Senterfitt & Knight LLC, Family Lawyer

  • Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Legislative Counsel

  • Georgia Network to End Sexual Assault, Legislative Counsel

  • Hunton & Williams LLP, Pro Bono Fellow

  • Honorable Orinda D. Evans, Law Clerk

  • Georgia Commission on Family Violence, Executive Director

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Community Service

  • Leadership Atlanta, Class of 2007

  • Carolina Women's Center Advisory Board

  • Stonewall Bar Association Board of Directors

  • Intown Collaborative Ministries Board of Directors

  • Voter Protection, Poll Monitor

  • Six Star Refugee Partnership, Tutor

 

Additional Training

  • Collaborative Divorce

  • Mindfulness in Psychotherapy

  • Relationship Counseling

  • Clinical Hypnotherapy

  • Brainspotting

  • Emotional Freedom Technique (tapping)

  • Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)

  • Trauma

  • Women's Sexuality

  • Transgender issues

  • Domestic violence & sexual assault

  • Pet loss

  • Immigrant & refugee issues

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Shelley A. Senterfitt

Therapist. Lawyer. Advocate.

I am a counselor in the broadest sense.  For the first 20 years of my professional life, I served as a nonprofit lobbyist and a family lawyer.  I represented organizations as their legislative advocate and individuals in their divorce and custody cases.  When I found myself enjoying the counseling aspects of this work more than going to court or to the state Capitol, I realized that I needed to make a change.  I obtained an MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Georgia State University and am a Nationally Certified Counselor and a Licensed Professional Counselor in Colorado and Georgia .  I am also a Board Certified Coach.

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My clients generally fall into two categories.  About half of my clients are individuals and couples who are facing a family law matter and who value having a therapist with a keen understanding of the legal system.  I work with clients who are trying to determine whether divorce is the right choice for their family as well as those who have already made that decision.  For couples who are seeking to divorce as amicably as possible, I draw on my mediation training and experience to facilitate agreement on a parenting plan.  Individuals who are involved in challenging divorce cases often come to me for divorce coaching to learn how to manage the stress of a contested divorce as well as how to co-parent through conflict.  I also offer co-parenting counseling to couples who are trying to learn how best to parent their children after separation or divorce.

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The other half of my clients tend to be busy professionals who wish to address anxiety, depression, relationship challenges, workplace difficulties, stress management, grief, and trauma.  I have experience working with the LGBTQQIA community and with survivors of sexual and domestic violence.  I offer counseling to individuals and couples as well as executive coaching for individuals and businesses.  More detailed information about my practice is available here.

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As a counselor and coach, I bring a warm, compassionate spirit to a solution-focused, pragmatic approach.  I join with clients wherever they are in their process to realize their goals.  My integrative philosophy draws from cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, multicultural counseling, and solution-focused therapy with an emphasis on client empowerment.  I believe clients possess the knowledge and ability to resolve their challenges; therapy is the collaborative process of uncovering those resources.

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The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. - Marcel Proust
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