Holly Gerety, LICSW

Holly Gerety is a licensed independent clinical social worker (LICSW) in Massachusetts with 20 years of experience. She helps people facing stress, anxiety, grief, relationship strain, self-esteem struggles, and the disruption that comes with life changes. Holly offers a straightforward, warm approach so people can start feeling more able to cope.

Her practice emphasizes a calm, nonjudgmental atmosphere where clients are listened to and respected. Sessions focus on building useful skills, noticing patterns, and finding small changes that make daily life easier. She encourages people to use their own strengths while learning new ways to handle hard moments.

Holly uses several approaches depending on what a person needs, including cognitive behavioral techniques, mindfulness, client-centered listening, motivational interviewing, and narrative work. These methods are used to reduce unhelpful thought patterns, track connections between thoughts and behavior, and create clearer goals for change.

Typical work in sessions includes identifying stressful cycles, practicing coping tools, improving communication, and developing plans for transitions like caregiving changes or career shifts. She also supports people dealing with trauma, intimacy concerns, sleep problems, and body image issues. The focus is practical steps that fit into everyday life.

Taking the first step can feel hard, and Holly offers steady support as people try new strategies. Her aim is to help clients build resilience, gain insight, and move toward a life that feels more manageable and authentic.

How Holly uses CBT and client-centered work online

Holly commonly blends cognitive behavioral techniques and client-centered care to help people change stressful thinking and build practical coping skills. Cognitive behavioral work focuses on spotting unhelpful thoughts and testing new behaviors to reduce anxiety, improve sleep, and manage mood. Client-centered therapy emphasizes active listening and validating a person's experience so they feel understood while trying new strategies.

Finding the right approach is collaborative. Holly will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what feels most useful. Together they pick methods and experiment, adjusting plans as needed so the work fits daily life and real-world challenges.

Online sessions are offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to increase flexibility. Video lets people practice communication and face-to-face skills, phone can work when bandwidth is limited, live chat and messages allow quick check-ins or short coaching moments. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules and to continue momentum between sessions.