Sheri Bell-O'Gara, LCSW

Sheri Bell-O'Gara, LCSW, uses practical, evidence-informed therapies to help people manage stress, anxiety, trauma, grief, and related concerns. She draws on nearly three decades of clinical experience and keeps therapy straightforward and human. Sessions include room for short-term problem solving and deeper processing when needed.

Sheri focuses on what a person needs in the moment and adapts her approach accordingly. She uses methods such as eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, cognitive behavioral strategies, acceptance and commitment techniques, and mindfulness tools. This variety lets her tailor work to issues like insomnia, depression, trauma reactions, and compassion fatigue.

Her background includes work with returning combat veterans, hospice care, and geriatric clients. That history informs her attention to life transitions, loss, and end-of-life concerns. Sheri also addresses caregiver stress, chronic illness, and the aftereffects of disaster and violence.

In sessions she aims to be compassionate and approachable. She values humor when it helps people cope and looks to meet each person where they are. The focus is on realistic steps people can try between meetings and on building skills to handle everyday challenges.

Sheri offers sessions by video, chat, text messaging, and phone. She helps people clarify goals, practice new skills, and work through painful memories or ongoing worries. To start, she asks people to complete a brief matching questionnaire and then schedule a time based on availability.

How Sheri's Approaches Work Online

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helps people notice thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, and then act in ways that match their values. It is useful for anxiety, depression, and coping with life changes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and trying small behavioral changes to ease symptoms like insomnia, worry, and low mood. EMDR is a method used to process traumatic memories so they feel less overwhelming; it is often chosen when trauma or abuse is a central concern.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Sheri will talk with each person about goals, past experiences, and preferences to decide which methods to try first. That plan can change as progress is made, and she aims to make the choice together with the client.

Sheri lists video, chat, text messaging, and phone as ways she meets with people, so confirm which formats are currently offered before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy day, allow shorter check-ins when needed, reduce travel time, and let people choose whether to use video or not. Licensed professionals can use these formats to teach coping skills, guide mindfulness practices, process memories, and set practical steps for everyday life.