Therapist profile
Dr. Freda Shipman, LCSW
LCSW - Family and parenting, grief and stress
Continue with FredaAbout
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
About Freda
Dr. Freda Shipman is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with 25 years of experience in clinical settings. She works with adults on issues such as grief, anxiety, stress, relationship strain, parenting concerns, career changes, and trauma and abuse. She practices in Virginia and conducts sessions in English.
Her work draws on practical, evidence-based methods that help people make concrete changes. She uses Client-Centered Therapy to listen closely and build a working plan together. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is used to identify unhelpful thinking patterns and test small changes. Motivational Interviewing and Solution-Focused Therapy help people set clear goals and take manageable steps toward them.
Dr. Shipman also integrates Internal Family Systems ideas to look at internal parts and how they influence behavior and relationships. She brings particular experience with caregiver stress, aging and geriatric concerns, oncology and end-of-life issues, and financial and life-purpose questions. Those areas often intersect with parenting and family difficulties she helps people address.
Sessions aim to be practical and paced to fit everyday life. Dr. Shipman helps people name priorities, try new strategies, and evaluate what works. She frames therapy as a series of small, testable steps rather than vague promises.
To begin, prospective clients are asked to use the site matching tools to schedule a first appointment. The practice notes that subscription billing is used and can be canceled at any time.
How sessions work
How Dr. Shipman’s approaches translate to online work
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening closely and shaping the work around what matters most to the person. Online sessions using this approach tend to begin with the client’s immediate concerns and build small, practical goals together. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) breaks problems into thoughts, feelings, and actions and tests changes through short experiments. Online CBT often uses brief between-session exercises and clear, measurable tasks to track progress.Choosing the right approach is part of the work. Dr. Shipman will collaborate with clients to decide which methods fit their needs, goals, and preferences. That decision is revisited as therapy progresses so the plan stays relevant and useful.
The original biography did not list specific session formats. Please confirm the available online session options before booking. In general, online sessions can make it easier to fit appointments into busy days, allow for shorter check-ins when time is limited, and let people use video or audio depending on what suits them. These practical benefits can help therapy be more manageable alongside parenting, caregiving, work, or medical appointments.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
25+ years
Listed in
North Carolina, Virginia
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of family concerns does she address?
She helps people with family problems, communication issues, parenting strain, and family of origin concerns as listed in her practice focus.
How would she describe her therapy style?
Her style is collaborative and practical, using approaches like Client-Centered Therapy, CBT, and Solution-Focused methods to set goals and try concrete steps.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 25 years of experience in clinical settings working with a range of adult concerns including grief, trauma, caregiver stress, and life transitions.
Where is she based and licensed?
She practices in Virginia and holds LCSW credentials, listed as NC LCSW and VA LCSW.
Can non-US or international clients work with her?
Sessions are conducted in English and she is not currently accepting international clients.
What session formats are offered?
The original biography did not specify session formats; please confirm current online session options before booking.
How are sessions billed and what do they cost?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I get started scheduling a first appointment?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session through the site.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If anyone is in danger, use the crisis numbers.