- Years in practice
- 20
- Credentials
- LICSW
- Licensed in
- Minnesota
- Languages
- English
- Focus
- Stress, Anxiety
- Focus
- Addictions
- Focus
- Trauma and abuse
About Shari
Shari Peterson is a licensed independent clinical social worker with over 20 years in mental health. She has worked in community mental health, school settings, and outpatient treatment, and has spent several years providing individual therapy. She practices in Minnesota and offers straightforward, practical support for parents and adults facing stress and life strain.
She helps people who struggle with anxiety, depression, ADHD, bipolar concerns, addictions, and trauma. She also addresses relationship challenges, family problems, eating and sleeping issues, anger, and self-esteem.
Background and approach
Many clients seek her help for attachment concerns, body image, chronic illness or pain, and codependency. Her style is warm, authentic, and relational. She emphasizes strengths and listens to each person’s priorities before suggesting changes.
Sessions are collaborative and grounded in what feels useful and doable for daily life. Shari blends several practical methods to meet each person where they are. She draws on client-centered work, cognitive behavioral ideas, mindfulness, motivational interviewing, and elements of the Gottman Method when relationship communication is a focus.
These tools are used in simple, step-by-step ways rather than as rigid rules. Parents often contact her seeking help with parenting strain, boundaries, and communication. She supports individuals in sorting priorities, managing anger, and creating routines that improve sleep and eating patterns.
Her approach focuses on clear skills and steady emotional support. People who choose her can expect direct conversation, empathy, and measurable next steps. She encourages small changes that add up over time and helps clients track progress toward their goals.
What Shari works with
Everything Shari lists, in the therapist's own terms. Parenting is the reason this directory exists; the rest shows what else Shari helps people with.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Trauma and abuse
- Depression
- ADHD
- LGBT
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Eating disorders
- Sleeping disorders
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Bipolar disorder
- Attachment issues
- Body image
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Dependent personality
- Dissociation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fertility issues
- Gender dysphoria
- Guilt and shame
- Immigration issues
- Impulsivity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Personality disorders
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Self-harm
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Traumatic brain injury
- Women's issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Shari lists
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Gottman Method
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Somatic Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist names and does not check training records.
Therapeutic approaches and online care
Client-centered work focuses on listening and building on a person’s strengths to help them make meaningful changes. It helps with motivation, confidence, and deciding what matters most in day-to-day life.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions. It teaches practical strategies to reduce anxiety, manage mood, change unhelpful patterns, and improve sleep and eating habits.
Mindfulness therapy offers simple attention and breathing practices that reduce reactivity and improve emotional regulation. It can be useful for stress, trauma symptoms, and chronic pain when the goal is greater calm and focus.
Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will listen to a person’s goals, try a few techniques, and adjust methods based on what feels helpful. Clients and the therapist choose what to keep, change, or add as work progresses.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video sessions allow face-to-face conversation and shared exercises. Phone work can be easier when bandwidth is limited or when a shorter check-in fits a busy day. Live chat and text messaging make it possible to exchange brief updates, practice skills between sessions, or keep momentum when schedules are tight. These options offer flexibility to fit treatment into real life and to maintain continuity across weeks.
Questions people ask about Shari
What concerns does she commonly address?
She works with people facing anxiety, depression, stress, ADHD, addictions, trauma and related issues such as sleep and eating problems.
How would you describe her therapy style?
Her style is warm, authentic, and strengths-based. Sessions are collaborative and focused on practical steps that feel doable.
What kind of experience does she bring?
Shari has 20 years in the mental health field, including work in community mental health, school settings, and outpatient treatment.
Where is she licensed and based?
She holds an LICSW and is licensed in Minnesota.
Which languages are offered for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
What session formats are available?
She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different needs and schedules.
How are sessions paid for and what do they cost?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule sessions according to therapist availability.
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