Sheri Bell-O'Gara

Sheri Bell-O'Gara is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) practicing in Indiana with nearly 29 years of experience. She focuses on helping people manage trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, and stress. Her style is compassionate and down-to-earth, and she uses warmth and occasional humor to ease difficult conversations.

Sheri blends practical therapies to match each person's needs rather than forcing a single method. She practices cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and mindfulness-based approaches to help with sleep, mood, and daily coping. She also uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help people clarify values and take steps that matter to them.

Her background includes working with hospice and geriatric clients and with returning combat veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. That experience informs her work with complicated grief, caregiver stress, and trauma. Sheri also addresses issues such as chronic illness and pain, first responder stress, domestic violence, and dissociation.

In sessions she aims to meet people where they are and move at a comfortable pace. She draws on EMDR and exposure-based techniques when trauma processing is needed, and on CBT for insomnia when sleep is a major concern. Sheri supports people exploring life purpose, communication problems, and rebuilding connection after loss.

She offers a collaborative, person-centered way of working. Clients can expect straightforward conversation, practical tools, and a focus on small, workable steps toward better daily functioning.

How Sheri’s Approaches Work Online

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on identifying personal values and taking small steps that match those values. Online ACT sessions help with anxiety, life changes, and finding purpose by practicing simple exercises and short behavioral goals.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) targets unhelpful thoughts and habits and replaces them with manageable alternatives. Online CBT can help with depression, insomnia, worry, and coping with daily stress through structured work and practical homework.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is used when trauma processing is needed; it helps reduce the intensity of traumatic memories so they interfere less with daily life. Sheri uses trauma-focused techniques when appropriate and works at a pace the client can handle.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Sheri treats therapy as a collaborative process and will help clients choose methods that fit their goals, needs, and comfort level. She adjusts techniques over time based on progress and feedback.

Confirm current session options before booking so you know what formats are offered. Many people find online sessions easier to fit into a busy life because they remove commute time and can be scheduled around work or caregiving. Others appreciate being able to continue care while traveling or living far from a clinician. Sheri aims to make sessions practical and focused on concrete steps that help between meetings.