Shirley Butler, LCSW

Shirley Butler, LCSW, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Montana with 23 years of experience in the mental health field. Her background includes work in community mental health and Tribal Behavioral Health, where she supported people in both ongoing outpatient care and on-call crisis coverage. She now works in private practice, which she established in 2013, and brings a deep respect for diversity shaped by years of living and working within multiple cultures, including extensive time on a reservation.

Her path into social work grew from a genuine curiosity about people, culture, and behavior, and she has pursued that interest through comprehensive training and clinical practice. She earned a Bachelor Degree in Human Services Rehabilitation from Salish Kootenai College in 1998 and a Master of Social Work (MSW) from Walla Walla University in 2004. After completing her MSW, she accrued three thousand supervised clinical hours before qualifying to sit for her clinical licensing exam, a process that reflects the rigor behind clinical social work licensure.

Shirley is trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), an approach often used to work with PTSD (post-traumatic stress) and other distressing experiences, while honoring that what feels traumatic is personal and unique to each individual. She places strong emphasis on building rapport and a supportive working alliance, then collaborates with each client to develop a treatment plan tailored to their needs. She also values the healing potential of telling one’s own story and invites clients to help guide what they want to explore as they move toward growth and change.