Sharlene Duplessis , LCSW

Sharlene Duplessis is a licensed clinical social worker who focuses on trauma-informed care and practical skills. She draws on 16 years of experience to help people manage anxiety, depression, mood swings, and stress. She also supports people dealing with relationship and family challenges and women's issues.

Sharlene uses clear, goal-focused work in sessions. She teaches tools from cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy to reduce intense emotions and change unhelpful thought patterns. She can also use EMDR techniques for processing traumatic memories when appropriate.

Sessions often include short, concrete exercises people can use between meetings. Sharlene helps people break problems into manageable steps and build small, steady habits. She also uses motivational interviewing and solution-focused techniques to help clients find what matters most and make realistic changes.

Her background includes long-term outpatient work with people facing trauma, grief, and major life transitions. She has experience supporting those coping with ADHD, bipolar disorder, and self-harm concerns alongside anxiety and depression. Her approach centers on meeting each person where they are and moving forward at a workable pace.

People who work with Sharlene commonly practice new skills during day-to-day life and review what helped at the next session. She emphasizes noticing small wins, strengthening self-worth, and building flexibility when situations feel difficult. This makes therapy feel practical and steady rather than overwhelming.

Therapeutic approaches adapted for online care

Sharlene commonly uses cognitive behavioral therapy and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing in her work. CBT focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and practicing different responses to change feelings and behavior, which helps with anxiety, depression, and stress. EMDR is used to process traumatic memories by combining focused attention with guided bilateral stimulation to reduce the distress tied to those memories.

She also draws on dialectical behavior therapy skills to teach emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and better interpersonal communication. These skills are practical and can be practiced between sessions. Choosing the right approach is collaborative - the therapist will talk with each person about goals, try methods that fit their needs, and adjust the plan based on what helps most.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video lets people work face-to-face from wherever they are. Phone sessions can be a simpler option when bandwidth is limited. Live chat and text-based messaging are useful for brief check-ins, quick skills practice, or when writing feels easier than talking. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life and to keep consistent contact between appointments.