Get to know EAP therapist Devin Shorey

Devin Shorey recently joined the University of Florida as a new Employee Assistance Program, or EAP, therapist. As a licensed mental health counselor, he has worked in community mental health centers, a college counseling center and several high schools, giving him a wide range of experience with a variety of mental health and relationship issues.

What inspired you to pursue a career as a therapist? 

I’ve been to therapy a few times in my life and always found it to be very helpful. I wanted to be able to provide the same help for others that I got through my life. I also find the idea of helping people improve their self-image and relationships to be very rewarding. 

How would you describe your clinical/therapeutic approach? 

For individual therapy it would be a mixture of cognitive behavioral therapy, solution focused brief therapy and person-centered therapy. For couples therapy, I typically use the Gottman method couples therapy. 

What can people expect out of a typical session with you? 

My goal in most sessions is to figure out how best to help a person manage the issues they are struggling with, whether that’s assisting with changing someone’s self-deprecating internal beliefs or exploring triggers for why they have outbursts of anger or panic attacks. Each session is tailored to the individual person I’m working with to find out what techniques and method of counseling works best for them. 

Within your work, what are your areas of interest and why?

I would say that my favorite types of issues to work with are issues with communication and connection in interpersonal relationships and issues with self-confidence and self-image. Addressing these issues can go a long way in addressing a wider variety of mental health issues, which is why I enjoy helping people with them. Plus, seeing the drastic change it can make in a person’s life is a very rewarding sight. 

One of your specialties is marriage and couples counseling, can you tell us how you approach a therapy session with a struggling couple? 

Typically, I like to learn about the couple’s relationship history — e.g. what drew them to one another, fondest memories, biggest struggles — their communication patterns, and their goals for counseling in the first session before I dive into treatment itself. This gives me a wide variety of information to work with when starting treatment. From there, we discuss topics such as unhealthy communication versus healthy communication, how to highlight and strengthen positive sections of the relationship, and how to create shared traditions to further strengthen the relationship 

Do you have any self-care tips you could share? 

I’m a big believer in leaving work at work and home at home. Whenever I’m away from work, I try not to focus on projects or work-related concerns. Instead, I participate in my hobbies, spend time with friends and family, and try to keep myself physically active. It can be easier said than done at times, but that’s how I’ve prevented myself from burning out in the past.

To schedule an appointment with Devin, visit the UF Employee Assistance Program website. Appointments are available to all faculty, staff, graduate assistants, non-student OPS employees, housestaff/residents and postdoc associates.