Cheerful Heart Mental Health Counseling PLLC

30 Glenn St, Suite 205
White Plains, New York, US
10603

Available By

  • In-Person Icon In-Person
  • Phone Icon Phone
  • Video Icon Video
  • Email Icon Email

Practice Specialties

  • Chronic or Terminal Illness Counseling
  • Church Conflict
  • Counseling for Pastors and Wives
  • Counseling for Seniors
  • Couples Counseling
  • EMDR
  • Ex-Relationship Adjustments
  • Grief and Bereavement Counseling
  • Individual Counseling
  • Premarital Counseling
  • Stress and Anxiety
  • Support Groups
  • Trauma and or PTSD
  • Women's Issues and Concerns

About

ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS (Telehealth available in NY, NJ, CA, PA & SC)

Pro bono and low-cost therapy available with our intern, Amber. Shakira currently has a waitlist.

Private Pay Rate: $225/session, $250/session for EMDR therapy, $50 to $100 for EMDR Groups

Specialties: medical trauma + chronic illness stress, church hurt, burnout, betrayal, anxiety/trauma (EMDR)

You’ve served faithfully, prayed faithfully, and shown up faithfully—but life is still hitting hard. Now you’re questioning everything: your calling, your identity, even God’s goodness. Maybe you’re still going to church and doing what you “should,” but you feel distant inside. Maybe you’re leading while privately falling apart. You might be asking, “If God loves me, why am I still suffering?”

I help Christian women work through seasons of loss, betrayal, chronic stress, health struggles, church hurt, and burnout that can trigger a crisis of faith. Many of the women I work with are professionals, caregivers, and ministry leaders—the ones who encourage everyone else, but don’t know where to put their own pain.

Therapy with me is a place to take the mask off. We’ll name what hurts, explore your faith and how to reclaim it, and address the trauma responses that can keep you stuck (over-functioning, shutting down, spiraling, or feeling emotionally numb). We’ll also work through the spiritual layers of disappointment with God, anger, doubt, fear of judgment, and the pressure to be “a good Christian” instead of a whole human.

If you want counseling that respects your faith while also giving you real clinical support, I’d love to help. You can rebuild trust, deepen resilience, and find a way forward even if your faith feels fragile right now.

Ready to start? Book a consultation on our website: www.cheerfulheartmhcpllc.com.

Why I Became a Professional Christian Therapist

Shakira K. O’Garro founded Cheerful Heart Mental Health Counseling PLLC while leaning on her relationship with Jesus Christ to create a space where Christian women feel truly seen, validated, and empowered to find joy in the midst of suffering. The practice is rooted in the belief that healing thrives through compassion, community, and collaboration and that you deserve a safe place to reclaim your strength, voice, and hope.

Shakira supports Christian women navigating chronic pain, medical trauma, chronic illness, church hurt, burnout, loss, betrayal, and seasons of doubt that can trigger a crisis of faith. Her approach is trauma-informed and clinically grounded, and she integrates faith-based practice without spiritual bypassing. With the client’s consent and request, sessions may include prayer and scripture references. Telehealth is available in NY, NJ, CA, PA, and SC. Ready to begin? Book a consultation at https://chmhcpllc.sessionshealth.com
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Client Payment Information

  • Client rates are on a sliding scale

Therapists on Staff

Shakira O'Garro
Amber Arteaga
Shakira O'Garro

Shakira O'Garro

LMHC-D, LPC, LPCC, NCC
Shakira K. O’Garro, LMHC, LPC, LPCC, NCC, is a trauma-informed clinician with over a decade of experience supporting women navigating anxiety, depression, grief, and chronic illness, including chronic pain and medical trauma. She is passionate about faith-integrated care and creating a therapeutic space that feels safe, genuine, and deeply compassionate.

Shakira’s approach is clinically grounded and person-centered, with thoughtful integration of Christian faith with the client’s consent and request, which may include prayer and Scripture. She has a special interest in supporting women carrying both physical and emotional burdens, and she is an advocate for endometriosis education and awareness informed by lived experience. Shakira offers telehealth in NY, NJ, CA, PA, and SC. Now accepting clients in CT as well.
Amber Arteaga

Amber Arteaga

Mental Health Counseling Intern
Amber is available for sessions at a reduced rate or pro bono based on need. She can see you in person at our White Plains office or via telehealth across New York State.

You can book a consultation with her and read more about her here: https://cheerfulheartmhcpllc.com/meet-our-team/

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