Shaa-Ista Simmons-Wilcox

Shaa-Ista Simmons-Wilcox is a licensed social worker in Michigan who focuses on practical ways to manage stress, anxiety, grief, and low self-esteem. As an LMSW with three years of experience, she helps people build confidence and find direction when career or life transitions feel overwhelming.

She creates an open, nonjudgmental space where thoughts and feelings can be voiced. Sessions focus on what is happening now and on small, actionable steps that make a difference day to day. Clients are invited to set goals they care about and to move toward them at a pace that feels manageable.

Her approach combines acceptance and commitment ideas with cognitive techniques to notice unhelpful thinking and try different actions. Attachment-based and emotionally focused ways of working are also used to understand relationship patterns and repair trusted connections. Client-centered listening guides the pace and priorities of each session.

Shaa-Ista often supports people facing caregiver stress, isolation, body image concerns, and relationship struggles such as communication or jealousy. She also has experience with grief, hospice and end-of-life counseling, and issues linked to intellectual disability as part of her practice focus.

People who choose her report that she keeps things practical and direct. She encourages small experiments between sessions and checks in on progress. Taking the first step can feel hard, and she acknowledges that effort while helping people move forward.

How therapeutic approaches translate to online care

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) encourages noticing difficult thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, then choosing actions that reflect personal values. It can help with anxiety, low motivation, and getting unstuck. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at patterns of thinking and behavior to identify workable changes, which is useful for anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) concentrates on understanding emotions and improving how people connect in relationships, aiding communication and attachment concerns.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Shaa-Ista will talk with each person about their goals and preferences and together decide which methods to try. That choice is revisited as needed, and the process is collaborative and paced to fit what the client wants.

Confirm the current session options before booking since formats are not specified in the biography. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life, such as avoiding travel, squeezing in a shorter check-in during a break, or choosing a format that uses less bandwidth when internet is limited. Licensed professionals often adapt exercises and homework for virtual sessions so progress continues between meetings.