- Trauma-informed approaches
- Blended family issues
- CBT and DBT skills
About Sharlene
Sharlene Duplessis is a Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) licensed in Connecticut with 16 years of practice. She focuses on trauma, mood disorders, anxiety, and related concerns including blended family issues and relationship stress. Her work often addresses parenting, communication problems, and the strain that comes with major life changes.
Sharlene uses practical, skills-based methods in sessions. She draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, Motivational Interviewing, and Solution-Focused Therapy. That means she helps people learn concrete skills for managing strong emotions, changing unhelpful thinking patterns, and processing past distress.
When someone brings blended family challenges, she helps them sort priorities and routines. She talks through role questions, loyalty tensions, and co-parenting stress in direct, step-by-step terms. Sessions focus on what a client can do differently at home and how to test small changes between visits.
Sharlene also works with people facing depression, bipolar mood concerns, trauma responses, and self-harm thoughts. She combines trauma-focused techniques with skills training to reduce overwhelm and increase coping options. The emphasis is on short practical steps that build toward steadier day-to-day functioning.
Her style is centered on the client's goals and preferences. She helps people set clear, realistic aims and checks progress. For people in or entering blended households, she offers straightforward guidance about communication, boundaries, and parenting roles.
Therapeutic approaches used in online sessions
Sharlene commonly draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing in her work. CBT focuses on identifying and shifting unhelpful thoughts and behaviors through practical exercises and skill practice, which can help with anxiety, depression, and day-to-day stress. EMDR is used to process traumatic memories by combining focused recall with bilateral stimulation to reduce the intensity of distressing memories.She also uses Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills for emotion regulation and distress tolerance. DBT techniques teach concrete tools for managing strong emotions, improving interpersonal effectiveness, and reducing impulsive reactions. Together these approaches give a mix of symptom relief and skills to use between sessions.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to pick methods that match their goals, needs, and comfort. That means trying techniques, checking what helps, and adjusting the plan over time rather than committing to one method from the start.
The original biography does not list which specific online session formats are provided, so confirm current options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy week, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and avoid travel time. They can also let people use tools learned in sessions directly in their daily environment, and make scheduling around childcare or work breaks simpler.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
16+ years
Listed in
Connecticut
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she address?
She works with trauma and abuse, anxiety, depression, mood disorders, relationship and family issues, parenting, blended family issues, ADHD, and related stressors.
What is her therapeutic style?
She uses practical, skills-based approaches such as CBT, DBT, EMDR, Motivational Interviewing, and Solution-Focused Therapy to address symptoms and everyday problems.
How much experience does she have?
She has 16 years of experience working in clinical social work, including outpatient settings addressing trauma and family concerns.
What credential and location does she hold?
She is a Clinical Social Worker, LCSW, licensed in Connecticut.
Which languages are supported?
Sessions are offered in English and international clients are accepted.
What session formats are offered?
The original biography does not list specific session formats. Please confirm current session options before booking.
How do costs and billing work?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Online talk therapy is for adults and is not emergency care, mediation or legal advice. If you or a child are in danger, use the emergency numbers. Find someone else by name.