Your Counselor, Sha* Wortman, LPC
(*pronounced “Shay”)
Individual, Teen, & Pre-Teen Counseling in Birmingham, AL or Online Throughout Alabama & Georgia
Support for adults, parents, and teens navigating anxiety, transitions, and emotional overwhelm.
Sha Wortman, LPC (pronounced “Shay”), EMDR Trained Clinician
Individual, Teen, & Pre-Teen Counseling in Birmingham, AL
Maybe you’re coming for yourself.
You’re carrying anxiety, grief, or stress that hasn’t slowed down. You’ve been pushing through, but something feels heavy, and you’re ready for a space where you don’t have to hold it all together.
Or maybe you’re here because of your child.
The middle and high school years are hard, and no one gives parents a roadmap. Your preteen or teenager may be overwhelmed, withdrawn, anxious, or full of anger, and you don’t know how to help.
Maybe you’re overwhelmed too. Exhausted from trying to support your child without knowing what’s “normal” or what’s serious.
If you're here, it likely means something feels heavy; for you, for your child, or for both of you. And you're ready for support that actually helps.
Find your individual, teen, and pre-teen counselor in Birmingham, AL
Hi, I’m Sha.
I’m a Licensed Professional Counselor offering individual, teen, and pre-teen counseling in Birmingham, AL. I have more than 20 years of experience walking with people through anxiety, emotional overwhelm, grief, trauma, and major life transitions. I am also an EMDR Trained Clinician, which allows me to help clients process painful experiences and emotional wounds that continue to impact their present-day lives and relationships.
While I specialize in working with adolescents and their families, I also work with adults who are feeling stuck, exhausted, or unsure how to move forward.
I see clients in person at our Birmingham office and provide virtual counseling throughout Alabama and Georgia, allowing clients to access support from wherever they feel most comfortable.
My background includes school counseling, private practice, and in-school clinical services for high-risk students. I’ve worked with hundreds of preteens and teens, and just as importantly, I’ve supported the parents and adults trying to navigate these seasons.
My therapy room is calm, safe, and welcoming. It’s the kind of space where clients can take a deep breath, drop their guard, and feel like they matter. My style is relational, faith-based, and grounded in both clinical training and real-life experience. I use humor carefully, compassion freely, and curiosity always.
What it’s like to work with me
When you’re in session with me, it feels like you’re sitting with someone who genuinely wants to understand you. I take time to hear your story, not just the symptoms, but the context, the patterns, and the weight of it all.
Whether I’m working with a teen, a parent, or an adult navigating their own challenges, I help clients name what they’re experiencing, reflect on how it’s shaped them, and begin to build new ways of coping and connecting.
For some clients, we may also incorporate EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), an evidence-based therapy approach that helps the brain process and heal from distressing experiences. EMDR can be particularly helpful for trauma, grief, anxiety, chronic stress, and experiences that continue to feel emotionally "stuck." One of the things clients appreciate most about EMDR is that they do not have to share every detail of a painful experience in order for healing to occur.
You’ll leave with something practical to try, along with a deeper understanding of what’s really going on beneath the surface.
In this short video, Sha shares how her experience in both schools and counseling helps her support children, teens, adults, and families through life's challenges.
Who I work with:
Adults navigating anxiety, grief, trauma, or life transitions, including those seeking EMDR therapy for unresolved or distressing experiences
Individuals feeling stuck, exhausted, or unsure what to do next
Parents who feel overwhelmed, stuck, or unsure how to help their child
Preteens (9–12 years old) experiencing anxiety, emotional dysregulation, ADHD, or school-related stress
Teens and adolescents struggling with identity, peer dynamics, performance pressure, or big emotions
Families in transition, including divorce, grief, relocation, or major change
Clients of faith looking for a therapist who respects their beliefs
Caregivers and families living with chronic illness, seeking emotional and practical support
Support for Families Navigating Chronic Illness
Alongside my professional background, I bring personal experience to the work I do with families. My husband and I raised a house full of boys, two of whom were diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, one at just 9 months old, and the other at age 10.
We were suddenly thrust into a world of medical appointments, sleepless nights, blood sugar monitoring, and constant adjustment. Navigating those diagnoses while striving to raise confident, capable children who aren’t defined by their limitations was no easy task.
Through those years, I learned a great deal about resilience, advocacy, and the power of support. Living with a chronic illness, or caring for someone who does, can be isolating and overwhelming. But you don’t have to figure it out on your own.
Therapy can offer space to process the grief and fear, receive emotional support, and develop a plan that helps you and your child feel more empowered.
EMDR Therapy
Sometimes we understand why we're struggling, but insight alone doesn't bring relief.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is an evidence-based therapy approach that helps the brain process experiences that may be contributing to anxiety, fear, grief, negative self-beliefs, or emotional overwhelm. Rather than simply talking about difficult experiences, EMDR helps the brain update and reprocess those memories so they no longer feel as distressing in the present.
Many clients find EMDR helpful for:
Trauma and difficult life experiences
Anxiety and chronic stress
Grief and loss
Medical trauma and chronic illness
Negative beliefs about themselves
Experiences that continue to feel emotionally "stuck"
As with all of my work, EMDR is integrated thoughtfully and at a pace that feels safe and manageable for each client.
What clients say they feel after a session with Sha:
✔ Calmer and more hopeful
✔ More empowered to try new strategies
✔ Less alone in what they’re carrying
✔ Ready to take the next step
My Professional Background
I earned my undergraduate degree in Social Work from Georgia State University in 1993 after attending Truett-McConnell College, where I was honored as the Outstanding Behavioral Science Student. I later completed my Master’s in School Counseling in 1998. Since then, I've worked as a school counselor, executive function coach, private therapist, and in-school clinician supporting high-risk youth, adolescents, adults, and families through some of life's most challenging transitions. I am also an EMDR Trained Clinician, allowing me to incorporate evidence-based trauma treatment into my work with both adolescents and adults.
Whether I'm helping an adult navigate a difficult season, supporting a parent worried about their child, or sitting with a teen who doesn't know how to name what they feel, I bring clarity, warmth, and steady support.
When I’m not in session, you can find me cooking for my family, watching sports, walking or hiking outside, or kayaking when I get the chance. I love being outdoors and spending quality time with my people.
Start counseling with Sha in Birmingham, AL, or Online Throughout Alabama & Georgia
Whether you're supporting your child, walking through a difficult season as a parent, or looking for support for yourself, you don’t have to do it alone.
Sha offers in-person counseling in Birmingham, AL, and virtual counseling appointments for clients located anywhere in Alabama or Georgia.
Call 205-538-3978 or click here to schedule a free consult.