Throughout my career — from my early years as an Activity Assistant at Regency Manor and Recreation Director at The Manor at Whitehall, through my long tenure as a hospital and hospice chaplain — I have had the privilege of sitting with older adults in some of their most vulnerable and meaningful moments.

What I enjoy most is the depth of conversation that becomes possible when someone has lived a full life. Older adults often bring wisdom, resilience, and hard-won perspective to our sessions.

I also find profound meaning in walking alongside them through grief, transitions, and end-of-life concerns — areas that have been central to my work for over two decades.

I have worked extensively in telehealth and telemedicine settings, facilitating online therapy and support groups. For older adults, online therapy removes many of the most common barriers to accessing care — transportation challenges, mobility limitations, health concerns, and geographic distance from providers.

It allows clients to engage from the comfort and safety of their own homes, which can actually make it easier to open up. The research increasingly supports telehealth as effective as in-person care, and my own clinical experience confirms this.

I approach every session from a client-centered foundation, meeting people where they are. My work is rooted in building a genuine therapeutic relationship — one grounded in trust, respect, and compassion. I integrate evidence-based modalities including EMDR, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills, and Structured Family Recovery, adapting my approach to each individual's unique needs, values, and circumstances. I also bring a spiritual sensitivity to my work, recognizing that faith and meaning-making are often central to healing.

My approach is holistic and integrative. I draw on training in EMDR, CBT, DBT, trauma-informed care, and Structured Family Recovery, and I tailor my methods to each client. Given my background in chaplaincy, bereavement, and pastoral care, I am especially attentive to the existential and spiritual dimensions of a person's experience — not in a prescriptive way, but in a way that honors whatever meaning-making framework the client brings. I believe healing happens in relationship, so I invest heavily in building a strong therapeutic alliance. I also conduct thorough assessments to understand the full picture of a person's life before developing a personalized treatment plan.

My path to becoming a therapist grew organically out of decades of work as a hospital and hospice chaplain, bereavement coordinator, and pastoral caregiver. Beginning at Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio in 1997, I found myself sitting with people in their most raw and painful moments — grief, dying, loss, addiction.

I witnessed how much people needed not just spiritual support, but skilled clinical care. That calling deepened over time, leading me back to school to earn my master's and eventually my doctorate in Counselor Education and Supervision. The work chose me as much as I chose it.

Come as you are. You don't need to have the right words, a clear agenda, or even a specific problem defined. The first step is simply showing up. Therapy is a process, not an event — give it time, be patient with yourself, and know that it is completely normal to feel uncertain or even uncomfortable at first.

The therapeutic relationship is built gradually, and the most important thing is that you feel heard and respected. I will always meet you where you are.

Seeking therapy is not a sign of weakness — it is one of the most courageous things a person can do. I also wish more people knew that therapy is not about being "fixed." It is about developing self-awareness, building skills, processing pain, and rediscovering your own strengths. After more than 25 years in this field, I can say with confidence that change is possible at any age and in any season of life. It is never too late.

Come as you are. You don't need to have the right words, a clear agenda, or even a specific problem defined.

Dr. Shaffer has a deep and serious interest in demonology and paranormal investigation. Drawing on his years as a clinical chaplain — where he witnessed individuals in extreme spiritual and psychological distress — he has studied and researched experiences that sit at the intersection of mental health and spiritual warfare, exploring the distinction between organic psychological illness and what he describes as a spiritual battle of the mind. As an interesting, fun fact, Dr. Shaffer spent several years breeding Corgis and was involved in training them for dog shows and as performance dogs running agility. For self-care, he loves to play golf, hike, bike, walk, go exploring, play with his dogs, relax at home with music, re-learn Spanish, and volunteer with his church.