Sheila Funk-Jansen, LCSW, LISW

Sheila Funk-Jansen is a licensed social worker with 25 years of experience helping people through stress, grief, anxiety, depression, and major life changes. She holds LCSW and LISW credentials and practices in Iowa. Sheila focuses on meeting people where they are and helping them take small, steady steps forward.

Sheila uses straightforward, common-sense approaches in sessions. She often draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people spot unhelpful thinking and change patterns that keep them stuck. Solution-Focused Therapy is used to identify what’s working now and build on those strengths.

Motivational Interviewing is another tool she uses to help people find their own reasons to change. Sessions are collaborative and paced to each person’s readiness. Sheila emphasizes the working relationship as the foundation for progress.

Clients come with many concerns, including relationship struggles, parenting stress, intimacy-related issues, caregiver strain, addiction, and challenges tied to aging or serious illness. She also addresses family of origin problems, spending issues like control and codependency, and reactions to divorce or separation.

Sheila aims to help people become more resilient and brave when life feels overwhelming. She starts where each person is and focuses on practical next steps. People who want someone direct, steady, and experienced may find her approach useful.

How her approaches translate to online work

Sheila commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Solution-Focused Therapy in her practice. CBT helps people identify unhelpful thoughts and try different behaviors to reduce anxiety or depression. Solution-Focused Therapy emphasizes practical goals and small changes that build on what already works in someone’s life.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Sheila will talk with the client about goals and preferences and then try methods that fit those needs. The process is collaborative and adjusted over time based on what helps the person make progress.

Session formats are not specified in the biography, so confirm current options before booking. In general, online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions around work, caregiving, and medical appointments. Online work can also allow shorter check-ins when schedules are tight, or let people avoid travel time on busy days. Licensed professionals aim to adapt techniques to the realities of each person's daily life so therapy can be practical and usable.