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Dr. William Shearer, Psychologist

Experienced mental health professional

Provides online counseling through BetterHelp

At a glance

William is an experienced, licensed Mental Health Professional who specializes in affordable online therapy offered through our partner, BetterHelp.

4.5 stars
Clients are very satisfied with William. View 31 reviews
Speaks English
Offers Telehealth visits
Licensed in California and California

Recent reviews

Great advise great lister so helpful

J.A.·Apr 2022

Dr. William Shearer help me with my anxiety related to difficulty sleeping. He helped focus on the now and not on the many what ifs. I was trying to problem solve instead of sleep. He is a very good listener. He gave me a number of workbooks related to anxiety. Again thank you Bill.

L.A.·Mar 2022

More about William

  • 46 years' experience
  • Male
  • Psychologist, LMFT

Hello,

COUPLE COUNSELING SPECIALIST

I go by Dr. Bill and I am a licensed therapist (license number Psychologist 5077, LMFT 12373), in practice for 44 years. I am primarily a couples therapist (75% of my work ), but I also have many years experience working with anxiety disorders, eating disorders, and other addictive and compulsive behaviors. I ran a drug and alcohol treatment program for 13 years, and I have been in charge of an outpatient eating disorders program. I ran an anxiety treatment program with individual and group therapy for over 25 years. I am also a university professor, organizational consultant, wellness and well-being coach and author. My wife Robin (also a therapist) and I are the co-authors of Mindful Choices for Well-Being and Finding the Right Partner (pending publication).

I look forward to working with you!

Specialties

Stress Anxiety Addictions Relationship issues Intimacy-related issues Eating disorders LGBT Family conflicts Trauma and abuse Grief Sleeping disorders Parenting issues Anger management Self esteem Career difficulties Bipolar disorder Depression Coping with life changes Coaching Compassion fatigue ADHD Abandonment Attachment issues Blended Family Issues Body image Codependency Commitment Issues Communication problems Divorce and separation Drug and Alcohol Addiction Eating and Food-Related Issues Men's issues Military and Veterans Issues Sex Addiction Sexual Dysfunction Sexuality Social anxiety and phobia

Treatment Approaches

  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
  • Attachment-Based Therapy
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
  • Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
  • Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
  • Gottman Method
  • Imago Relationship Therapy
  • Mindfulness Therapy

Licenses

Dr. William Shearer's National Provider Identifier (NPI) is 1013096890.

  • Psychologist · California · 5077 · Expires April 2025
  • LMFT · California · 12373 · Expires May 2025

About online counseling

Affordable.
Pay a low flat fee.
Convenient.
Do it at your own time and at your own pace. Communicate whenever you feel it's needed.
Available now.
There is no waiting list and no calls to make. Simply fill out a short questionnaire and send your first message.

Online counseling, also known as teletherapy, is a method of delivering mental health services through digital means such as video conferencing, phone calls, or messaging platforms. It can be an ideal option for individuals who have difficulty accessing traditional therapy due to geographical distance, time constraints, or personal preferences like privacy and comfort. Many people find it easier to open up from the familiarity of their own space. Teletherapy has been found to be highly effective, with studies showing that it can produce similar outcomes to in-person therapy, particularly for issues like anxiety, depression, and PTSD. The flexibility and accessibility it offers make it a valuable alternative to conventional therapy settings.

Reviews for Dr. William Shearer

All reviews have been submitted by clients after seeing the provider.

Overall rating:

4.5

31 reviews

5
4
3
2
1

Clients mention: Anxiety Great Helped Recommend Professional Helpful Listens Thank you Excellent Helping

Great advise great lister so helpful

J.A.·Apr 2022

Dr. William Shearer help me with my anxiety related to difficulty sleeping. He helped focus on the now and not on the many what ifs. I was trying to problem solve instead of sleep. He is a very good listener. He gave me a number of workbooks related to anxiety. Again thank you Bill.

L.A.·Mar 2022

Dr. Shearer's guidance and counselling was exactly what I needed to get over the many things that were bothering me. My state was an intertwined mess of professional and personal dissatisfaction and fear and hopelessness. Dr. Shearer asked the right questions, and expertly guided me to the exact things (ACT, mindful choices for well-being, handling panic attacks, healthy vs. unhealthy coping strategies and active constructive responding) that I need to work on to become a much-improved, calmer version of myself and more importantly regain my sense of lost confidence, satisfaction and self-esteem. You'll notice that these are fundamental things. They cut across both the personal and professional. If you ever find yourself thinking that all you need is perhaps a professional coach, do introspect and figure out if there are similarities in your personal life too. If yes, go straight to Dr. Shearer. A professional coach is probably your second port of call, if at all necessary. Dr. Shearer will be my go-to should I ever find myself in a funk again, although I'm confident, given his inputs over the last several months, that this situation won't arise. However, he shall forever remain my sounding board for when I realize that I can be a significantly better version of myself, irrespective of my ongoing mental condition.

P.R.·Mar 2022

My relationship with Dr. Shearer has only been a few times; however I have had a pleasant experience thus far. He is receptive to my needs in therapy and does not hesitate to give feedback.

C.A.·Feb 2022

Working with Dr. Bill helped my eating disorders and anxiety. He listens and give genuine answers to my questions. I highly recommend him if you need help with anxiety and eating disorders.

D..·Feb 2022

Dr. Bill is an excellent therapist. I made progress with his help from the very first session. I feel he gives me the tools I need to help myself each day and is also there to support me when I get a little stuck.

J.E.·Feb 2022

Dr. Bill was an excellent listener and he responded very quickly to my journal entries. focusing on anxiety, stress, and boundary-setting. He often included worksheets and recommended books to help with areas of improvement. He also made notes every time we had a video call on what I expressed and gave suggestions to help. I would highly recommend Dr. Bill!

A.V.·Jan 2022

I have tried to seek help from many leadership coaches in the past, and none have come close to the manner and efficacy with which Dr. Shearer understood and diagnosed my specific issues and helped me with very relevant, targeted and effective advice. In fact, my very first conversation with him, at the beginning of my engagement, was enough to get me more than halfway home. I'm obliged to Dr. Shearer for his advice and guidance, and I will highly recommend him to anyone suffering from interpersonal relationship issues and/or low self-esteem issues, irrespective of the context (home/work/other social settings) in which these may arise.

P.R.·Jan 2022

Dr Shearer is an outstanding, highly experienced therapist who takes his time in trying to understand you as a person above all else.

I.B.·Jan 2022

In the short time I have been working with Dr. Bill he has already given me ways in which to better myself. He's a wealth of knowledge and experience and has been helping me in my journey to become a better me and a better partner to the people in my life. The tools and research he shares are extremely helpful and will allow me to constantly learn and develop myself. I look forward to all that he can teach me.

M.A.·Dec 2021

He’s wonderful! Has sooo many good resources & things I can work on as HW. I am so grateful for his expertise & experience!

C.H.·Nov 2021

It's my first time reaching out for a therapy session and I'm glad the match therapist for me is Dr. Shearer. He's very helpful and I'm comfortable sharing with him what I think or feel. He listens and help me process what I feel. He also shares articles and readings to help me understand what I'm going through. He doesn't rush you with opening up. I'm grateful he's my first therapist and will recommend him to my friends and colleagues.

J.A.·Nov 2021

Dr Shearer has been amazing for me. These past few months I have been having really rough patches in life, but having Dr Shearer in my corner has worked wonders and is helping me everyday to become better and help myself get to my ultimate goal.

J.O.·Nov 2021

Dr. Bill is an expert in eating disorders and has really opened my mind to mindful eating. I’ve been bulimic for 10 years and I finally have confidence in myself to eat the way dr. Bill has recommended for me to do.

D..·Oct 2021

I worked with Dr. Shearer through a difficult separation and divorce and he was the perfect counselor to guide me through these hard times. When I signed up for Better Help, I was suffering from overwhelming anger, anxiety and depression to the point that I could hardly function. I quit my job, I stopped most of my hobbies, and I stopped paying attention to my health. I'm a father of four, married for thirteen years and I did everything for my wife and kids. When my marriage collapsed, my life as I knew it crashed with it. I was on a spiral down, my anxiety felt physically. I felt like a dead man walking. I was consumed daily with hurt, anger, mistrust, and fear. I knew I needed professional help to turn my life around. I signed up for Better Help with trepidation. I had been to counseling for years, but I wasn't sure how valuable online counseling could be. Dr. Shearer or "Dr. Bill" as I called him, changed my mind from our first interaction. He was kind, empathetic, and I always left our sessions feeling enlightened, relaxed, and confident. Dr. Bill was a mentor who always had the right answer. From the onset, he armed me with tools to improve my well-being and change the way my mind was wired. Some of those tools included diaphragmatic breathing, and ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy). He also referred me to relevant books to supplement my learning, and he referred me to the working draft of his own book. His book was incredible and acted as a perfect supplement our sessions. I remember reading chapters from midnight until dawn a couple night. It was that good. Dr. Bill also provided worksheets to gauge my mental and emotional state, and to assess my performance as a husband, and later co-parent. In a short amount of time, I turned things around with Dr. Bill's help. That anger, anxiety, and cloud of sadness were mostly lifted away. As Dr. Bill coached me, I know I'll still deal with difficult emotions, but I now have valuable tools to accept them and to redirect my energy into something positive. As an added benefit, Dr. Bill served as a divorce mediator for many years, so he was able to provide sage advice on how to approach my negotiation and how to manage my emotions all while keeping the peace with my soon-to-be-ex. Today is a sad day for me because I'm leaving Dr. Bill, only because money is tight (given all of my legal dealings). Dr. Bill, I sincerely thank you for saving me, transforming me, and for giving me tools which I will continue to use to develop into a stronger man. I have so much gratitude for what you did and I could never thank you enough.

M.A.·Oct 2021

Best therapist !

J.U.·Sep 2021

I really enjoyed working with Dr. Shearer, he understood the real problem right in the first live session and we worked on long term solutions

F.E.·Sep 2021

Dr. Shearer supported me for a short time but it was an excellent experience. Would highly recommend him and his flexible approach.

F.A.·Sep 2021

Dr Shearer is exactly what one could ever expect from a clinician. He has the credentials and he lives up to them. He is the one you are looking for...

T.O.·Aug 2021

So far so good. He seems to live up to his reputation. He provides good material for reading amd insightful and timely responses at least once a day. He is the guy you are looking for for sure...

T.O.·Aug 2021

Dr. Shearer is great and very professional. He has a lot of experience and shared many great material to help me with my issues. I really appreciate his approach and kindness. He also checked up on my frequently when I didn't have much to say or posted anything. I truly appreciate how much he cares! I would definitely sign up with him again.

B.A.·Jul 2021

Dr. Bill is so respectful, so supportive, so understanding of all religions, beliefs, and ethnicity. I highly recommend others to have Dr.Bill as their counselor

O.M.·Jul 2021

Dr. Shearer (Dr. Bill) has been wonderful to work with. His expertise are in love and relationships be it with others or yourself, and he has taught me so much about self-compassion and how to exercise my boundaries in a healthy way. I feel respected by him, and his books and the focused chapters will forever be in my reading repertoire. Thanks again Dr. Bill!

E.L.·Jul 2021

I've really enjoyed our time together. I appreciate all the different points of view and the worksheets are always exactly what I'm either looking for or need. Dr. Shearer has been a great support.

V.E.·Jul 2021

Dr Bill was my first therapist ever and was my "Yoda" from time to time as well. I was very lucky to have found him. He was such great help. His clinical approaches (ACT, Gottman Method, Mindfulness, CBT in my case) worked really well with me. He is warm, gentle, open, and has a good sense of humor, responds well to messages and gave me useful reading materials. Because he was never judgmental or critical, I could trust him, be honest and open with him. I looked forward to our video session every week and if money wasn't the issue I would have continued counseling with him. And when I come back, I will definitely choose Dr Bill as my therapist again.

M.O.·Jul 2021

From the short amount of time I have been able to create a bond with Dr Shearer. This bond has led him to efficiently give me the help I have been seeking. Everyday it seems to get better and better and with Dr Shearer help I am learning to become a better me a happier me. Thank you so much Dr Shearer

J.O.·Jul 2021

The information he has provided me, even after 2 week, has been helpful, and it just feels like to be understood.

E.L.·May 2021

Dr Shearer has been a wonderful resource as I work through issues in my relationship with my wife. He helped me very quickly to understand that my marriage is still important to me and that my own anxiety and self doubt are holding me back with being the best husband and connecting with my wife. He has provided great reading and assessment materials for how I can focus on staying in the moment during important conversations with my wife in order to really listen and hear what her needs are and what she is asking. He has been extremely supportive and constantly encouraging me to practice the methods I am learning to help face my own issues and how to best meet my wife’s emotional needs. Dr. Shearer is very easy to talk to about these very personal issues and has helped me tremendously to fell better about myself and how to connect better with my wife. He also has been great with staying engaged with me (and with keeping me engaged) in this therapy process by messaging me several times a week unprompted, responding very quickly to my messages, and encouraging me to schedule Video sessions. I would recommend Dr. Shearer as a therapist to friends and family.

R.O.·May 2021

Dr. Shearer has been great so far. I have had two sessions through video and conversations through texting and he listens and gives me real proactive advice on a lot.

H.O.·Apr 2021

Dr. Shearer has helped so much even after only a couple of sessions. He knows what my goals are and is helping me get there step by step.

K.A.·Feb 2021

Dr. Shearer has been a huge help so far, and he has introduced new techniques that I have found to be manageable and they have helped me to manage my anxiety and stress. He actively listens and takes note of what you are struggling with. He has a wide range of knowledge and explains how his advice and suggestions have helped prior clients. I am really glad to be matched with such a great therapist.

R.A.·Jan 2021

How was your experience with William?

Frequently asked questions

Does Dr. William Shearer offer telehealth visits?

Yes. Dr. William Shearer works with clients by exchanging messages, chatting live, speaking over the phone, or video conferencing based on what works for the client at that particular time.

What language(s) does Dr. William Shearer speak?

Dr. William Shearer speaks English.

How many years of experience does Dr. William Shearer have?

Dr. William Shearer has 46 years of experience.

Where is Dr. William Shearer licensed to practice?

Dr. William Shearer is licensed to practice in California and California.

Does Dr. William Shearer accept clients outside of the United States?

Yes, Dr. William Shearer accepts clients outside of the United States.

Is online therapy as effective as in-person therapy?

Numerous studies support the effectiveness of online platforms in facilitating life changes. For instance, research published by JMIR Publications, conducted by teams from the University of Berkeley, UCSF, and SF General Hospital, found that "users of BetterHelp experienced significantly reduced depression symptom severity after engaging with the platform."

What treatment approaches does Dr. William Shearer offer?

Dr. William Shearer offers clients Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Attachment-Based Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT), Gottman Method, Imago Relationship Therapy, and Mindfulness Therapy.

How can I communicate with Dr. William Shearer?

Dr. William Shearer can be engaged in any one of four ways: (1) Exchanging messages, (2) chatting live, (3) speaking over the phone, or (4) video conferencing. You can use different ways at different times as you wish, based on your needs, availability, and convenience.

How do I get started with Dr. William Shearer?

Just tap the CHAT NOW button or tap here: A new window will open and you'll be directed to a simple form that will help start the conversation. Please note: It can take up to a few days to be matched to a therapist.

Mental health conditions are real, common, and treatable.

And recovery is possible.

Messaging
Live Chat
Phone
Video

When you tap CHAT NOW a new window will open and you'll be directed to a simple form that will help start the conversation.

Please note: It can take up to a few days to be matched to a therapist.