Sharon Hollandsworth, LCSW

Sharon Hollandsworth is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with four decades of experience in community mental health. She works with adults and offers a steady, supportive presence while clients talk through difficult life moments. Sharon begins by listening to what feels hard and what each person wants from counseling. Her background includes agency work in community mental health and health centers around Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina. She holds a Master of Social Work in Treatment from the University of Tennessee and earlier studied music and psychology. Sharon uses a client-centered way of working. That means she follows the person’s concerns and helps shape goals together. She also teaches practical skills for coping, calming, and handling strong emotions. Many sessions focus on problem solving and skills training. Sharon introduces relaxation techniques, ways to improve focus, and strategies for handling anxiety or emotional upheaval. She also guides people through improving interpersonal skills and making plans when decisions are needed. People contact her for a wide range of concerns, including stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, depression, anger, addictions, grief, relationship and intimacy matters, sleep and eating struggles, parenting stress, career questions, and coping with life changes. Sharon keeps work straightforward and grounded so people can apply it between sessions.

How her approaches fit into online therapy

Sharon uses client-centered work and skills-based therapies to help people manage distress and make practical changes. Client-centered Therapy focuses on listening, understanding what matters to the person, and shaping goals together. It helps when someone needs a steady, nonjudgmental space to talk through problems. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at patterns of thought and behavior and teaches concrete skills to reduce anxiety, depression, and unhelpful reactions. Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT, emphasizes emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness skills that are useful for intense emotions and relationship stress. Finding the right approach is part of the work. Sharon will collaborate with each person to decide which methods fit their goals, needs, and preferences. She often combines listening with teaching specific skills so clients can try new tools between sessions. Confirm the current online session options before booking, as formats are not specified here. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy day, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and reduce travel time. It also makes it simpler to keep continuity of care during life changes while the therapist and client test which strategies help most.