Jerry Utt, LCSW

Jerry Utt is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 30 years of experience. He blends practical therapy methods to help people manage stress, anxiety, depression, and the fallout from trauma and loss. He writes plainly and focuses on clear steps people can use right away.

He trained initially in the Army behavioral health system and went on to earn a Master of Social Work from the University of South Carolina. Over three decades he has worked in both inpatient and outpatient settings. That range means he has experience with urgent crisis care and longer-term therapy work.

In sessions he uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy alongside acceptance and mindfulness strategies. He also draws on attachment-focused ideas and skills from Dialectical Behavior Therapy when emotion regulation or relationship patterns are central concerns. Motivational Interviewing is part of his approach when substance use or engagement challenges arise.

People come to him for many issues including grief, anger, addictions, relationship strain, parenting stress, career questions, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and coping with life changes. He also sees complex situations such as co-occurring medical problems, chronic pain, caregiver stress, and blended family challenges.

His style is direct and pragmatic. Sessions aim to identify the problem, try small changes, and build on what works. He encourages collaboration and ongoing reviews of progress as goals evolve.

Approaches that guide online sessions

CBT focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing them with real-life experiments. It is often used for anxiety, depression, anger, and patterns that keep problems going. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helps people notice thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, while focusing on values-based action for meaningful change.

Attachment-Based ideas look at how early and current relationship patterns affect emotions and behavior. This can be useful when communication, trust, or repeated relationship problems show up in daily life. Jerry will work together with each person to choose which approaches fit their goals and situation, and he adjusts methods as progress unfolds.

Online sessions use video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to make therapy easier to fit into a busy life. Video lets people practice skills and get face-to-face feedback, phone can be a faster check-in or suit lower bandwidth, and messaging or live chat supports shorter contacts and ongoing skill practice between sessions. These options aim to give flexibility while focusing on concrete steps and coping tools.