Shelley Tirsbeck is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and co-founder of Vantage Point, which she built alongside Dr. Katie Polsky with a shared vision of providing ethical, compassionate care to the community. Her mission is to reduce suffering and help people build lives filled with loving, supportive, and fulfilling relationships. She brings a distinctive combination of deep clinical training and real-world leadership experience to her work, offering clients both warmth and a thoughtful, evidence-based foundation for healing.

At her core, Shelley believes that people have an innate capacity to grow and change, with the right opportunities and support, and she considers it a privilege to walk alongside them in that process. While she primarily considers herself an anxiety therapist, she works with a broad range of presenting concerns and is especially drawn to supporting those navigating life’s most difficult seasons.

Shelley’s approach to therapy is integrative and client-centered, always tailored to the unique needs of the person in front of her. She draws on a rich blend of modalities, including Psychodynamic and Relational therapy, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). She believes strongly in the power of evidence-based approaches, particularly ACT, CBT, and ERP, for those navigating anxiety and OCD.

Shelley specializes in working with individuals experiencing Anxiety Disorders, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders, trauma, depression, grief and loss, LGBTQI+ concerns, and relationship difficulties. She is deeply committed to working with clients from diverse backgrounds and with those facing oppression and discrimination, approaching this work with humility, curiosity, and care.

Outside of the therapy room, Shelley is equal parts adventurer, art enthusiast, and self-proclaimed food lover:

• She has a deep love of art and finds that museums, galleries, and street art have a way of saying the things words sometimes can’t.
• She played soccer at the California State level and remains a die-hard fan; known to hop on a plane or drive many hours just to watch a good match. No stadium is too far.
• Travel is her reset button. She is happiest when exploring somewhere new and discovering new cuisines.
• Speaking of food, she takes it seriously. Trying new cuisines is less of a hobby and more of a calling.

Shelley holds a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology from the Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA, an American Psychological Association-accredited program, as well as a B.S. from Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Management. She completed her clinical training at the Effort, a community mental health center; St. John’s Shelter for Women and Children; and Sage Psychotherapy, an Intensive Outpatient Program for Anxiety. She has also pursued specialized post-graduate training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP).

Shelley is a proud member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT).

Before entering the mental health field, Shelley spent meaningful time at McKinsey & Company, where she had the opportunity to work closely with senior leaders and mentors who shaped her understanding of organizational effectiveness, quality leadership, and what it means to build strong, functional teams. She later served as Director of Operations for the California Medical Association Foundation, where she honed her expertise in management and strategic planning. This unique background informs the way Shelley approaches her clinical work, with clarity, structure, and a deep respect for the human systems we all navigate.

English.

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