Sheri Bell-O'Gara

Sheri Bell-O'Gara, LCSW, uses a practical, client-centered approach to help people manage stress, anger, anxiety, and trauma. She draws on many years of clinical work to listen, assess, and develop plans that fit each person's life. Her manner is compassionate and she often uses gentle humor when it seems helpful.

With 29 years of experience, Sheri has focused on trauma, anxiety disorders, depression, and grief. She has worked with hospice clients, geriatric people, and returning combat veterans from Iraq, Afghanistan, and other deployments. Those experiences inform how she responds to loss, first-responder strain, and complex trauma reactions.

Sheri uses a mix of methods tailored to the client. These include Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, cognitive behavioral strategies, mindfulness techniques, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. She also has experience with CBT for insomnia and grief work, and is training in somatic therapy.

In sessions she aims to follow the client’s lead rather than force a specific framework. That means listening first, trying different tools, and keeping the work practical. She focuses on skills people can use between sessions, such as breathing, grounding, and simple behavior changes.

People who choose her can expect a direct but warm experience. Sheri encourages collaboration on goals and pacing. If you want help with anger, relationships, sleep, or managing life’s transitions, she offers steady support and real-world strategies.

How Sheri’s Approaches Work Online

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings without being driven by them. It focuses on values and small actions that add meaning while reducing struggle. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at how thoughts, behaviors, and feelings interact and teaches concrete skills to change unhelpful patterns. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a trauma-focused method that uses guided processing to reduce the intensity of traumatic memories and related emotions.

Choosing the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Sheri works collaboratively to find methods that match a person’s goals and comfort level. She adapts pacing and tools as the work unfolds so clients stay involved in deciding what helps most.

Her biography notes availability for video, chat, text, and phone meetings; please confirm which of these formats are currently offered before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy week, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and remove travel time. They also let clients use techniques such as breathing, mindfulness, and grounding in the context of daily life while still working closely with a licensed professional.