Sharie Kelley, LCSW

Sharie Kelley is an Oregon Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with 30 years of experience. She helps people facing stress, anxiety, addiction, trauma, relationship and intimacy concerns, and a range of life transitions. Her style is straightforward and practical, aimed at helping people manage symptoms and get moving toward their goals.

She uses cognitive behavioral methods and client-centered listening to help people notice patterns and try new ways of responding. She also draws on acceptance and commitment ideas to help people clarify values and take steady action. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or EMDR, is part of her approach for addressing trauma and anxiety.

Sharie trained in Hawaii, earning a Master of Social Work from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 1989 after completing a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences at Hawaii Pacific College. Decades of front-line work include outpatient mental health, dual-diagnosis treatment in a methadone clinic, crisis intervention, and private practice. Those roles exposed her to a wide range of situations and settings.

Her background includes work with people affected by grief, sleep problems, ADHD, caregiver stress, codependency, and bereavement after separation or divorce. She also brings experience with aging and geriatric issues, autism spectrum concerns, and blended family dynamics. She aims to adapt methods to each person’s culture and life context.

Practical skills she emphasizes are communication, trigger awareness, and problem-solving. The front-line experience she describes means she is used to working with urgent or complex situations and helping clients find concrete next steps.

Approaches that guide online sessions

Sharie often blends cognitive behavioral work with acceptance and commitment ideas to help people change unhelpful thinking and act on what matters. CBT focuses on identifying thoughts and behaviors that keep problems going and practicing new responses. ACT encourages noticing difficult thoughts and feelings while committing to values-driven steps toward a meaningful life.

EMDR is another tool she uses for trauma and anxiety work. EMDR uses guided bilateral stimulation paired with focused memory work to reduce the intensity of traumatic memories and help people process distressing experiences more adaptively.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will discuss options, try methods collaboratively, and adjust based on what helps a person meet their goals and fits their preferences.

Confirm current session formats before booking so you know what is available. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life, remove travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when schedules are tight. It can also let people meet from a quieter place or avoid video when that feels easier. Licensed professionals can adapt these approaches to the online setting and help plan practical steps between sessions.