Sharon Hollandsworth, LCSW

Sharon Hollandsworth is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with four decades of experience in community mental health. She practices from North Carolina and focuses on helping people who are struggling with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, relationship and intimacy concerns, and addiction-related problems. Sharon aims to create a supportive, validating place to begin working through what feels difficult right now.

Her approach starts with listening and mapping out what a person is experiencing and what they want from counseling. She uses a client-centered style and stays alongside clients as they name goals and try new ways of coping. This assessment and planning is an ongoing part of the work.

Sharon teaches practical skills to help people manage strong emotions and reduce anxiety. She offers training in relaxation, focus building, interpersonal skills, and problem solving so clients can make clearer choices when life feels overwhelming. These exercises are introduced at a pace that fits each person.

Her background includes long-term work in community mental health and community health centers in the Raleigh/Durham area. She holds a Master of Social Work degree and practices as an LCSW in North Carolina. That clinical history informs an emphasis on real-world skills alongside talk therapy.

Sharon invites people to begin by describing what’s hard and what they hope will change. Sessions aim to combine practical techniques with steady, respectful support while clients try new ways of coping and decision making.

Therapeutic approaches and how they work online

Sharon uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Client-Centered Therapy alongside skills from Dialectical Behavior Therapy in her online practice. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps identify unhelpful thinking and test new behaviors to reduce anxiety and depression. Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening closely and following the client’s priorities so goals come from what matters most to them. Dialectical Behavior Therapy supplies concrete skills for emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and better interpersonal interactions.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. Sharon will talk with each person about their goals and preferences, and together they will try approaches that fit the client's needs. If a skill or method doesn't feel helpful, she adjusts the plan and introduces alternatives based on progress and comfort.

Online therapy offers several practical benefits. Video calls let people maintain eye contact and use visual cues for skills coaching. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is low or when someone prefers not to be on camera. Live chat and text-based messaging are useful for quick check-ins, coaching between sessions, or shorter problem-focused work. These formats make it easier to schedule therapy around work, caregiving, and other demands while keeping consistent contact with a licensed professional.