Shari Peterson

Shari Peterson is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker with more than 20 years in mental health practice. She has worked in community mental health, schools, and outpatient settings. Shari draws on broad experience supporting people facing depression, anxiety, addiction, ADHD, and trauma-related concerns.

Her earlier work included community-based mental health programs and school settings. For three years she provided one-on-one therapy in an outpatient clinic. Over two decades she has helped people dealing with substance use, relationship problems, anger, and complex trauma or domestic violence.

Shari uses an individualized, person-centered style in sessions. She describes her approach as warm, relational, and strengths-based. Sessions tend to focus on what each person brings and on practical steps they can try between meetings.

Her clinical toolbox includes Trauma-Focused Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, mindfulness, narrative approaches, and elements of the Gottman Method. She combines methods to match a person’s goals rather than following a single technique.

In conversation she emphasizes collaboration and respect. Shari encourages people to name what matters to them and to set small, realistic goals. She aims to help clients build steady skills for managing stress, mood, relationships, and everyday challenges.

How Trauma-Focused and Client-Centered Work Translate Online

Shari commonly uses Trauma-Focused Therapy to help people process and reduce the everyday impact of traumatic experiences. This approach focuses on addressing trauma-related symptoms and building ways to feel more in control of daily life. Client-Centered Therapy is also central to her practice and centers the person's own goals, values, and pace; it aims to create an accepting, respectful working relationship.

She also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help identify unhelpful thinking and try different behaviors. CBT can be useful for anxiety, mood changes, and managing stressful habits. Together these approaches give a mix of listening, skill-building, and practical steps to try between sessions.

Finding the right mix of approaches is a collaborative process. The therapist will discuss needs, goals, and preferences and adjust methods over time. Clients are encouraged to share what helps and what feels difficult so the plan can be changed as needed.

Session formats are not listed in the biography, so please confirm current online and in-person options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy week, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when that is helpful. They can also let people work with a licensed professional from their own local area while keeping scheduling flexible.