Shakea Roper, LCSW, LSCSW

Shakea Roper is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 14 years of experience helping people manage stressful life moments. She aims to create a straightforward, respectful space where clients can speak openly and figure out practical next steps. Her approach is grounded in listening, honesty, and working together toward small, usable changes.

Roper draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify and change unhelpful thought patterns that worsen anxiety and low mood. She also uses client-centered techniques to follow what matters most to each person and Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills to support emotional regulation. Motivational Interviewing and Solution-Focused methods help when people want to shift habits or make concrete changes.

She commonly works with concerns such as stress, anxiety, mood disorders including bipolar and depression, grief, trauma and abuse, addiction, and struggles with self-esteem. Additional focus includes relationship and family of origin issues, blended family concerns, codependency, communication problems, and women's issues. Roper brings a practical stance to problems like panic attacks, financial stress, and feelings of emptiness.

Sessions emphasize clear goals and take-home strategies. Clients can expect a mix of talking, skill practice, and brief exercises to try between sessions. If a technique does not fit, she adjusts the plan together with the client.

Roper practices in Missouri and conducts work in English. She uses approaches geared toward helping people manage daily functioning, reduce distress, and build skills to move forward.

How these approaches translate to online sessions

Shakea often uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help identify unhelpful thoughts and test practical alternatives. CBT focuses on concrete steps and homework that translate well to video or text formats and can help with anxiety, panic, and low mood.

She also uses Client-Centered Therapy, which centers conversations on what the client brings to the session and follows the client's priorities. This approach supports a collaborative pace and helps people feel heard before moving into skills work.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills are used when emotional regulation, distress tolerance, or interpersonal effectiveness are needed. DBT skills can be taught in short exercises, practiced in session, and reviewed over messaging between appointments.

Choosing an approach is collaborative. The therapist will review goals, try methods, and adjust based on what works for the client. Together they decide which tools fit the person's needs and preferences rather than sticking to a single method.

Online formats offer practical benefits. Video calls let the therapist and client work face-to-face from different locations. Phone sessions require less bandwidth and can fit a break at work. Live chat and text messaging are useful for brief check-ins, skill practice, and ongoing support between sessions. These options give flexibility to match schedule and communication preferences.