About Sharmen

Sharmen Rutherford is a Licensed Professional Counselor - Mental Health Service Provider and a Licensed Professional Counselor with 16 years of experience. She focuses on practical help for people feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, addiction, grief, eating concerns, mood shifts, ADHD, and other life challenges. She meets people where they are and starts by listening.

Sessions focus on clear goals and skills people can use between meetings. Sharmen draws on therapies that teach new ways to manage thoughts, feelings, and behavior so everyday life feels more manageable.

Background and approach

Her background includes many years working with addiction and trauma-related issues alongside mood and anxiety concerns. That experience shapes how she structures sessions - with attention to safety, coping skills, and step-by-step progress. She also supports people dealing with work stress, compassion fatigue, and career transitions.

Sharmen uses several practical approaches in therapy, including acceptance and commitment ideas, cognitive behavioral techniques, mindfulness practices, dialectical behavior strategies, and a client-centered style. These methods are used to build skills for emotion regulation, improved focus, clearer values, and healthier routines. Sessions are offered from Alabama and conducted in English.

Sharmen works with people to set realistic next steps and teaches tools for managing daily challenges like sleep, anger, concentration, and motivation. She emphasizes steady, manageable change rather than quick fixes.

Therapeutic approaches and online care that fit your life

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helps people clarify what matters most and take small steps toward those values while learning to live with difficult thoughts. It is useful for stress, low motivation, and life transitions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on identifying unhelpful thinking and trying different behaviors to change mood and functioning; it is often used for anxiety, depression, and sleep problems.

Finding the right approach happens together. The therapist will discuss goals, preferences, and what feels most helpful, then try methods that fit the person's needs. Sessions can shift over time as goals change, and techniques are introduced at a comfortable pace.

Online therapy is offered through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to make care more flexible. Video calls work well for in-depth conversations and demonstrations of skills, phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or a quieter voice check-in is needed, and messaging or live chat suit short check-ins, skill coaching between sessions, or when writing helps process thoughts. These options make it simpler to fit therapy into busy days and to keep consistent work toward goals.

Questions people ask

What kinds of concerns does Sharmen help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, addiction, trauma and abuse, eating and food-related issues, depression, grief, ADHD, self-esteem and related concerns listed in her specialties.
What is her style in therapy?
Her approach is practical and collaborative, using client-centered listening alongside skills-based methods like CBT and mindfulness to help people manage thoughts and behaviors.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She brings 16 years of experience working with addiction, trauma, mood disorders, eating concerns, and related issues.
What credentials and location apply to this therapist?
She holds LPC-MHSP and LPC credentials and practices from Alabama with licensure in Tennessee noted in her background.
Which languages are supported and can she work with international clients?
Sessions are offered in English, and she is not accepting international clients at this time.
How are sessions delivered?
Sessions are available by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different needs and schedules.
How much do sessions cost?
Cost varies by location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What is the first step to begin therapy?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to therapist availability.

What this therapist works with

Experience
16 years
Licensed
Alabama, Tennessee
Languages
English

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