Shanelle Ford, LSW
Therapist
Shanelle is a Licensed Associate Professional Counselor who provides individual therapy to clients seeking clarity and sustainable change. She offers culturally affirming, trauma-informed care—specializing in major life transitions, anxiety-related disorders, grief, and caregiving stress—with the option for client-led, spiritually integrated therapy when meaningful. Grounded in a collaborative and heart-centered approach, she partners with clients to cultivate long-term healing.
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Life Transitions
Shanelle walks with clients through the shifts that redefine daily lives and family dynamics—including the transition to parenthood, career shifts, divorce, retirement, and later-life adjustments. She provides a steady, grounding presence through the emotional fatigue that often accompanies major life adjustments.
Grief, Loss, & Caregiving
Shanelle has a special interest in the "wide lens" of grief. She honors both traditional bereavement and ambiguous loss—such as navigating medical diagnoses, caregiver stress, aging-related physical shifts, or the loss of a beloved pet. Through meaning-making, she guides clients in integrating these complex life experiences into a new, hopeful chapter.
Culturally Affirming Care
Deeply committed to BIPOC-affirming care, Shanelle provides a supportive, intentional space to process minority stress, systemic impacts, and nuanced lived experiences. She recognizes that true healing requires a culturally responsive environment where clients feel fully seen, understood, and validated in their identity.
Spiritual-Integrated Therapy
Recognizing that spirituality can be a meaningful source of strength, Shanelle offers clinically grounded, spiritual-integrated therapy. This client-led approach honors your unique belief system—whether rooted in personal faith or spiritual practices—as a personal strength to support your overall mental health goals. Care is always compassionate, inclusive, and entirely guided by what is meaningful to you.
Core Frameworks
CBT, DBT, & Mindfulness: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and mindfulness-based practices
Future-Focused & Action-Oriented: Solution-Focused Therapy and Reality/Choice Therapy
Relational & Depth Work: Person-Centered and Psychodynamic
Inclusive Practice: BIPOC-affirming and LGBTQIA+ inclusive care
Education
Eastern University: MA, Counseling Psychology
Rutgers University: BS, Business Management
Languages
English