Sharmen Rutherford , LPC-MHSP, LPC

Sharmen Rutherford is a licensed professional counselor with 16 years of experience. She offers a supportive, down-to-earth approach for people facing stress, anxiety, addiction, eating concerns, trauma, and related issues. Sharmen practices in Alabama and uses practical strategies to help clients move toward clearer days and steadier routines.

She focuses on what people need right now. Conversations are straightforward and goal oriented. She helps clients identify patterns, build coping skills, and make small changes that add up over time. Sessions aim to be collaborative and paced to each person's comfort.

Her background includes work with addiction and trauma, and she has helped people manage depression, grief, sleep problems, anger, ADHD, and relationship struggles. Sharmen also supports clients dealing with body image, control issues, codependency, and family of origin concerns. Her experience covers both emotional and behavioral difficulties.

Sharmen uses a mix of approaches including acceptance and commitment ideas, cognitive behavioral techniques, mindfulness, and client-centered work. She introduces skills from dialectical behavior therapy when emotions run high. The focus is on practical tools people can use between sessions.

Clients can expect a steady, patient presence and clear next steps during visits. Sharmen aims to build trust and teach skills that fit everyday life. She encourages people to take the next step toward clearer thinking and healthier routines.

Therapeutic approaches you can use online

Sharmen commonly draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to guide online work. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helps people notice painful thoughts without getting stuck in them and focuses on values-based action to build a meaningful life. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy looks at how thoughts and behaviors interact and teaches concrete skills to change unhelpful patterns.

She treats the choice of approach as a team decision. During early sessions she will listen to goals and preferences, explain what different methods involve, and collaborate to select techniques that fit each person's needs. Adjustments are made as therapy progresses so the plan stays useful and realistic.

Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to give flexibility. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and skill practice, phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is low, live chat can work for shorter check-ins, and messaging supports ongoing reflection between sessions. These options help people fit therapy into busy lives and keep momentum between visits.