About
- CBT techniques
- DBT skills
- EMDR therapy
About Sharlene
Sharlene Duplessis is a Connecticut Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with 16 years of experience. She works with adults on issues such as trauma and abuse, anxiety, depression, parenting stress, relationship strain, and mood disorders.
She takes a trauma-informed, client-centered approach. Sessions focus on practical skills and clear steps rather than jargon. Sharlene draws on methods like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, EMDR, Motivational Interviewing, and solution-focused techniques to help people manage strong emotions and recurring patterns.
In work with parenting and family concerns she helps individuals untangle communication problems, blended family issues, divorce and separation impacts, and family-of-origin wounds. She also supports people dealing with grief, guilt, shame, isolation, and life transitions like midlife change or career shifts.
Sharlene teaches emotion regulation and coping tools that can be used between sessions. She helps clients notice small gains and build on them. Her style mixes skill practice with focused conversation about what matters most to the client.
People often come with PTSD, self-harm thoughts, bipolar mood swings, ADHD-related struggles, or low self-esteem. Treatment plans aim to reduce distress and increase practical functioning at home and work. The emphasis is on steady progress and problem solving.
To start, a prospective client completes a short matching questionnaire and schedules a first session. Fees vary with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How sessions work
How therapeutic approaches translate to online sessions
Sharlene often uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people identify unhelpful thoughts and try different behaviors. CBT is useful for anxiety, depression, and problem solving around daily routines. Dialectical Behavior Therapy teaches emotion regulation and distress tolerance skills. DBT skills can help when anger, mood swings, or intense reactions interfere with relationships. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is used to process traumatic memories and reduce their emotional intensity for people with post-traumatic stress. Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with the client about symptoms, goals, and what has or has not helped before. Together they decide which methods to try and adjust the plan as progress is made. The practical benefits of online work include fitting sessions into a busy household schedule and reducing travel time. Online sessions can make it easier to keep regular check-ins during work breaks or between errands. Because the biography does not list specific session formats, confirm the current session options before booking. The focus is on making therapy work around everyday life while using concrete CBT, DBT, or EMDR techniques when appropriate.Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
16+ years
Listed in
Connecticut
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she address related to home life?
She helps with parenting stress, family communication problems, blended family issues, divorce and separation impacts, and family-of-origin wounds.
What is her therapeutic style?
She uses a trauma-informed, client-centered approach with practical skills and stepwise techniques drawn from CBT, DBT, EMDR and Motivational Interviewing.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 16 years of clinical experience working in outpatient and community settings with adults and families.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She is a Connecticut Licensed Clinical Social Worker, listed as CT LCSW, and practices from Connecticut.
Can I work with her if I live outside the US?
She accepts international clients and conducts sessions in English.
Which session formats are offered?
Session formats are not specified in the biography; please confirm current session options before booking.
How are fees handled?
Fees vary with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What are the first steps to begin?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If anyone is in danger, use the crisis numbers.