Ryan Shelby Butler , LPC

Ryan Shelby Butler is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) practicing in Arizona with professional experience beginning in 2018. As an LPC he holds a state license to provide mental health counseling and brings a background that spans higher education, leadership, and clinical training. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in General Studies with emphases in Psychology, Philosophy, and Business from Montana State University in 2006, followed by a Master of Science in Leadership in 2011 and a Master of Science in Professional Counseling in 2015. He also completed a post-graduate degree in Christian Counseling, all through Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona.

Originally from Southern California and having lived in Montana before relocating to Arizona, he has applied counseling skills across diverse academic and institutional settings. His approach blends person-centered and psychoeducational methods with life-experienced, spiritual, and meditative elements. He uses realistic solution-focused interventions and empirically informed techniques drawn from cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy, along with family systems, narrative, existential, and Christian counseling perspectives.

Ryan works with individuals ages 8 and up from any gender and cultural background on a wide range of concerns including stress, anxiety, depression, addictions, trauma and abuse, grief, relationship and family issues, parenting, self-esteem, intimacy-related concerns, ADHD, anger, and coping with life changes. He describes therapy as a collaborative process that builds on each person’s strengths and values to help them move toward more meaningful, purpose-driven living. Outside of his professional role he is a husband and father, the youngest of six siblings, serves in church leadership, and enjoys reading, writing, and spending time outdoors.

Evidence-Informed Approaches for Online Care

Ryan Shelby Butler integrates therapeutic methods that translate well to online formats. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, focuses on identifying and shifting unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns to reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, helps people clarify personal values and develop skills to accept difficult thoughts while committing to meaningful action. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at relationship patterns formed in early life to improve connection, trust, and emotional regulation in current relationships.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. He collaborates with each person to determine which methods best fit their goals, needs, and preferences, adapting techniques over time as progress and priorities evolve. This collaborative process helps ensure the therapy plan feels relevant and practical.

Online sessions provide flexibility and accessibility for many people. He offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to accommodate different schedules, communication styles, and comfort levels. Licensed professionals can use these modalities to support continuity of care, reduce travel time, and make it easier to integrate therapeutic work into everyday life.