Member Highlight by Shelley Horner, LMFT

Shirelle
Beloved Dog of Doug Green, LMFT

Recently, I had the amazing opportunity to get to interview Shirelle, the beloved dog of our beloved Doug Green, MFT.

Shirelle is no longer here in body, but lives on via 'dark matter' (a physics term) and her indomitable spirit.

Doug has been transmitting her wisdom for many years. When she was living, she affected him so deeply that, after her passing, he wrote a book about what he learned from her, The Teachings of Shirelle: Life Lessons from a Divine Knucklehead. If you were lucky, maybe you won a copy at an SFV-CAMFT meeting, but now, to get one, you'll need to go through Amazon or another book website.

When Doug was writing the book, he realized that, in order for it to reach more than just friends and colleagues, he'd need more exposure. To achieve this, he came up with the idea of a website where kids, teens, and their parents could go for advice — advice given, not by him, but by the pooch herself. His logic was simple: first, in the "normal" family atmosphere, when people are having an argument, who's the one member who still unconditionally loves everyone there equally? And second, who's the only one who can hear what's whispered behind closed doors? So isn't a dog the perfect one to help people through their tough times?

Not wanting to use actual photos of his late mutt, Doug hired an artist to create a cartoon version of Shirelle, with the argument "Didn't we all fall in love with Snoopy when we were kids? Although it's only recently I've seen a photo of the real dog Snoopy that Charles Schulz had – who looks nothing like the one we know!"

It then took over a year of earnest work to get the website up and running, but Shirelle kept motivating Doug to work at it, and it happened.

Today, children and teens all over the world go to the AskShirelle website for advice – from the U.S., Africa, England, China, but mostly India (where there are far more English speakers than anywhere else). Like any good dog, Shirelle is honest, yet people know they can tell her anything because she'll never shame anyone. Shirelle is thrilled to know she has been online for over five years, and receives on average 10,000 visits a month. She's a highly social creature, so all interaction is welcome. And who better for a child to talk with than an unconditionally loving dog?!

Shirelle hears the social/relational problems that come in, and soothes her humans with wise words. "And," she says, "it's amazing how, no matter what part of the world a letter comes from, kids and teens are the same - with, regardless of their cultures, the same wishes, the same fears, the same concerns." A typical question might be, "So there's this boy at school. I really like him. Do you think he likes me?" To which Shirelle explains that, while, as a dog, she'd just run up and lick his face to find out, she knows that humans need to exercise more restraint. So maybe the girl could find a common interest, and engage the boy in conversation, to see if that leads anywhere.

When asked what advice Shirelle would give psychotherapists, she said:

1. Never forget that there's a fun way to look at almost anything.
2. Clients like it if you share something about your life that relates to their issues, especially if it involves you being embarrassed or someone getting mad at you.
3. GET A DOG! And if you can, get an actual therapy dog, because we are the best thing in the world! Far better than you, with your beards, cigars, and penis envy!

Wow, Shirelle sure tells it the way she sees it! As for Doug, he says that writing the book was the best thing he's ever done.

To find out more, you can contact Doug at 818.624.3637, or DouglasGreenMFT@gmail.com. He's also often at our chapter meetings, serving as the volunteer coordinator.

And for direct communication with Shirelle, of course just write her at AskShirelle.com. Nothing to be afraid of. She'll greet you with a lick every time.

Shelley Horner, LMFT enjoys writing the our Member Profile section since she likes getting to know her colleagues in depth. She is an actress, speaker and therapist.

Shelley has had a private practice for more than twenty years. She assists adults, children, and teens as well as facilitates parent groups in her office in Calabasas. She also does consultation and training of employees through Employee Assistance Programs at various organizations and colleges.