Jim Shackelford, PhD, LCP, LMFT, CADC
55-year career | Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Certified Addiction and Drug Counselor
University of Chicago
Master's in Theology
Master's in Religion and Psychological Studies
PhD in Religion and Psychological Studies
Texas Research Institute | Houston, Texas
Residency in Pastoral Counseling
Retired Diplomat in American Pastoral Counseling Association
Additional training at Northwestern University's Family Institute
Clinical Specialties or Interests
I was at Lutheran General Hospital in the counseling center for over 35 years. It was a general practice. At the end of my career, I moved to the addictions program there and that has been my specialty for the past 15 years, working with people that have both mental health issues and a history of substance use problems. I particularly like to work with people in recovery. They may or may not have had primary treatment for addictions. However, I may help them get there. And I work with them when they get back. It takes a long time to recover, from both addictions and addiction's impact on client's lives.
Early in my career, addictions and recovery was an area that I avoided. I had family members that had struggled with addiction. A favorite uncle passed away after three attempts at treatment. I just didn't feel hopeful or that I could help anyone. But the truth was, as a counselor, I couldn't avoid it--a significant percentage of the people that come for therapy have substance use issues. When I was at Lutheran General Hospital, its Parkside division had one of the largest addiction programs in the country. I eventually went back and got formal training and certification in addiction counseling at the College of Lake County, completing a one-year practicum in Lutheran's program. I continued working as a counselor in that program until I came to Youth & Family Counseling. That's how it evolved.
Why or how did you get interested and involved with counseling?
My earliest interest in counseling comes from summer employment at Alexander's Children's Home. I was 20. I worked in a residential treatment center for 6 to 12 year olds as a play therapist. I've always had an interest in working with children. Later when I did my residency at the Texas Research Institute of Mental Science (TRIMS), I worked with infants to six year olds. So coming to YFC was a nice return to things that I was interested in earlier in my life. I don't work with clients younger than 16, but I'm glad that we do serve children as young as 3 in our agency. More than half of our clients are under age 18. It's been a nice return to my roots.
In the audio snippet, Jim discusses the origins of his interest in counseling and the experience that inspired him to pursue it as a career.
"Within three months of the children being at the center, I saw dramatic, positive change. And that was inspiring."
When I was in graduate school I worked as a chaplain in hospitals in the Chicago area. I was doing short term counseling with folks in crisis. When I did my residency, I returned to counseling with kids. I like connecting with small people but I'm a big guy. I learned how to get down to kids' eye level and engage in play therapy with legos, toys, and puppets to allow them to feel comfortable to talk about or enact how they were feeling. And that's a lot of what the other therapists do here at YFC, so it's wonderful to see.
Why have you remained passionate about counseling? What motivates you to continue each day? What keeps pulling you into it?
It's interesting; it's never boring. And I like people! That's the biggest thing. I can connect with people. There's rarely a day where I don't enjoy what I'm doing. I've even retired twice--once from Lutheran General and again as clinical director at YFC. I have stayed on as a counselor because I just enjoy counseling and our clients so much.
What changes and/or continuity in the field have you witnessed over the years?
There has been a dramatic diversification in the field, specifically in the body of knowledge, body of research, and the ways to get formally trained. Originally, social workers were the only licensed therapists. My initial license was as a registered psychologist, the second profession that was licensed in Illinois. It has been growing rapidly. Now there are many certifications and licensure options available.
Within YFC, we have therapists with most of the different degrees and trainings that are available. And we also have three therapists with backgrounds in ministry and theological studies: Erin and Bithynia, and myself. And a fun fact: I am an ordained Presbyterian pastor!
The acceptance of counseling has also grown widely. It's become increasingly accepted to have someone to go and talk to--and that's a good thing! However, the stigma for seeking help is one we still fight.
In second part of the audio clip, listen to Jim discuss access and ability to pay for therapy plus how those things have changed or stayed the same over his 55-year career.
Finally, paying for therapy has been a challenge forever. Originally only social workers and psychologists got paid through insurance benefits. Eventually, licensed clinical professional counselors and marriage and family therapists would get paid, except for Medicare. Only the social workers and psychologists are eligible for Medicare. This is a real limitation. Although it's come up in Congress multiple times, it's never succeeded (to allow broader access to counseling).
However, COVID-19 changed some of the rules. Before the pandemic, we looked into teletherapy but it was cumbersome and technologically difficult. When COVID-19 came along, they embraced remote services and said, this is the way we have to do it. Interestingly, in some ways, the pandemic has allowed more people to access therapy than before. The insurance companies have been more generous in reimbursing as well, which has really helped.
How do you like to work with clients? How do you connect with them?
I used to joke when I made public presentations, I'd say, "you know I'm from the South!" I speak slowly and with a southern accent, but part of being a southerner is telling stories. I will tell a story and usually there's a point to it. Sometimes clients get it, sometimes not. I also try to connect with the client's story. There's an approach to therapy right now called narrative therapy, where you take a story and try to reform it so it's a more hopeful story. But I think me being a southerner is a critical part of how I connect and work with people. I definitely use narrative, use stories, and use their stories.
Do you have a favorite wellness strategy that you use with clients?
This is a wellness strategy from a book that's part of the Alcoholics Anonymous program. It talks about just being active in life. That's my go to thing. Right now, the pandemic is making it very difficult to do that. But my go to strategy is: be active. Find a way to do it. Go to meetings. Go to therapy. Just move. Figure out what you are passionate about. Something that I enjoy is music, so I (normally) go out to concerts and music-related events. Being active helps keep us connected and feeling more alive.
Success with clients
In general, I think the major success story here overall at YFC is that we have been committed to staying with families as long as we need to stay with them. Some of the severity and complexity of the cases that we deal with means that we work with people for a long period of time. But the positive changes that we see are very gratifying. For example, I've seen high school kids that come to see us in trouble and failing high school but then much later end up leaving having found work, completing a community college certification program and finding a new professional job--bottom line, being in a much better place. That's been great to see.
In the context of counseling and your role, can you share any challenges that you've faced along the way and how you've managed them?
Over my lifetime, there have been relational challenges and physical challenges. I was married as a teenager and then went through a divorce, which was one of the most humbling experiences of my life. When I was in my early 4o's, I became severely ill with spinal meningitis. I survived the initial inflammation, but I was in the hospital for a very long time and it took me a year to be able to walk effectively. That was humbling too, because I was an athlete and I loved playing basketball. But the illness took away my balance. I can walk and ride a bike, but I can't run and I don't have good balance on the dance floor anymore. And having a serious physical illness has given me great compassion for other people who also struggle with a health issue. People kept asking me, how'd you get infected or why did this occur...and I had no clue. Nobody did.
The lesson there was that sometimes when people go through health crises, they would love to know why it happened. But the truth is they'll never know and they just have to live with it. I did too. But I was lucky. I had good work, family, and friends to help sustain me, let alone the access to the healthcare system that allowed me to recover. I greatly appreciated it. The recovery period was very difficult. And the truth is that recovery, whether physical, emotional, or substance related, is not six weeks in and you're done. It's truly an ongoing process to keep moving forward.
What do you love about being a part of the YFC team? How would you describe YFC in a few words?
I love my colleagues! We have very competent therapists here at YFC. We are committed and we care about our clients and each other. I've always enjoyed working with that type of team.
What's the last song that you listened to?
Pentatonix's version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah"
What's your favorite must-see movie?
It's one that a client told me about called The Biggest Little Farm on Netflix. It's very heartwarming!