- ACT
- CBT
- Mindfulness
About Sharmen
Sharmen Rutherford is a Licensed Professional Counselor-Mental Health Service Provider (LPC-MHSP) and a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) with 16 years of experience in clinical work in Alabama. She works with people facing stress, anxiety, addictions, trauma and abuse, eating issues, depression, and related challenges such as sleep problems, anger, low self-esteem, and career strain. She also lists work around grief, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and LGBT concerns, among other areas.
Sharmen uses a mix of practical therapy methods to help people manage symptoms and make clearer decisions. She draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Mindfulness Therapy, and Client-Centered Therapy. Sessions focus on what feels most useful to the person in front of her, with straightforward strategies and skills practice when helpful.
Her background includes long-term work with addictions and co-occurring disorders and work with trauma and eating-related issues. That history means she often integrates approaches that address both behavior and underlying feelings. The biography also notes memberships in professional associations related to alcohol and drug counseling and trauma care.
Sharmen’s practice description emphasizes building a working relationship and offering practical tools. She asks people to complete a brief matching questionnaire and schedule a first session through the online therapy options button. Costs vary by location and use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
Sessions are conducted in English and international clients are not accepted. Confirm current session formats before booking to make sure they suit your needs.
Therapeutic approaches in online sessions
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice painful thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, then choose actions that reflect their values. This approach can help with guilt, shame, anxiety, and moving forward when old patterns feel limiting.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns and practicing small, practical changes. CBT is often used for anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and some eating-related concerns.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with the person to decide which methods fit their needs, goals, and preferences rather than prescribing a single path. That collaborative planning can include mixing ACT, CBT, mindfulness exercises, and client-centered conversations.
The biography does not list specific online session formats, so confirm available session types before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into daily life, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and remove travel time. Therapists and licensed professionals often use those practical benefits to help clients maintain consistency and build skills between sessions.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
16+ years
Listed in
Alabama, Tennessee
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does she help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, addictions, trauma and abuse, eating concerns, depression, grief, sleep issues, anger, self-esteem, ADHD and related concerns.
How would she approach work with guilt or shame?
She uses approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Mindfulness Therapy to help people notice painful feelings, choose meaningful actions, and develop new ways to respond to guilt or shame.
What is her clinical background and experience?
She has 16 years of experience, with a long history helping clients with addictions, co-occurring disorders, trauma, eating-related issues, anxiety and depression.
What credentials and region are listed?
She holds LPC-MHSP and LPC credentials and practices in Alabama. The LPC-MHSP is listed in her biography alongside the LPC.
Does she work in other languages or with international clients?
Sessions are offered in English. International clients are not accepted at this time.
What session formats are available?
The biography does not list specific session formats. Please confirm current session options before booking.
How does payment and cost work?
Costs vary with location, and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, use the crisis numbers.