01 · Who Sharleen works with

Sharleen works with stress, Anxiety, grief and self esteem

Sharleen lists 13 specialisms and 10 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Sharleen chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Sharleen's own words

What Sharleen says about the work

Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.

Sharleen is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker whose approach to therapy is client-centered, and solution-based. She aims to provide a non-judgmental and supportive approach to the counseling experience. In so doing, her clients are empowered to make choices and decisions geared to have an optimal impact on their lives. Sharleen believes in building collaborative relationships with her clients, based on therapeutic values of mutual respect, trust, and caring. Throughout the therapeutic process, this provides her clients with an opportunity to build on their existing strengths, in order to set their individual goals. Sharleen has a Bachelor’s in psychology (BA Psych), a Bachelor of social work (BSW), and a Master’s degree in Social work (MSW) from the Universities of Toronto and York. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Sharleen has worked with a wide variety of clients and has over 30 years of professional counseling experience. She specializes in counseling individuals and/or their families who are coping with the impact of various physical and/or mental health-related matters. Often this involves counseling in areas of adjustment to illness and disability as well as related caregiver stress. This could include (but is not limited to): acute and chronic medical illnesses, acquired brain injury (ABI), dementia and other cognitive disorders; geriatrics, bereavement, as well as individuals experiencing symptoms of depression, anxiety, and behavioral problems. In summary, these words from Theodore Roosevelt resonate with Sharleen’s general approach to working with her clients: “Do what you can with all you have, wherever you are.” Sharleen looks forward to helping YOU achieve YOUR goals, wherever you happen to be in your life’s journey!

Sharleen Nwakwesi, on the BetterHelp listing · read 10 Oct 2026

03 · How Sharleen works

The 4 approaches Sharleen lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Sharleen lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Sharleen's - a general explanation of what each method is, so the list means something before you have spoken to anybody. They are not a claim about how Sharleen runs a session.

Client-Centred TherapyPerson-centred · Rogerian

The therapist does not steer toward a technique or a diagnosis. They offer sustained, non-judgemental attention and reflect back what they hear, on the premise that people find their own direction when they are genuinely listened to. Often what people mean by “someone who just gets it”.

Cognitive Behavioural TherapyCBT

Structured, present-focused work on the loop between what you think, how you feel and what you then do. Usually means noticing a thought pattern in the room, testing it against evidence, and practising something different between sessions. Among the most heavily researched talking therapies for depression and anxiety.

Motivational InterviewingMI

A way of talking about change with somebody who is genuinely in two minds about it. The therapist does not argue for the change; they help you say your own reasons out loud, which is the part that predicts whether it happens. Common around substance use and health behaviour.

Solution-Focused Brief TherapySFBT

Starts from where you want to end up rather than from how you got here. Sessions look for the times the problem is already smaller and work out what is different about those, so the number of sessions tends to be short and the work concrete.

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Sharleen practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Sharleen's own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.

1. A questionnaire, not a booking form

   BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Sharleen at this point.

2. Naming Sharleen specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Sharleen is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Sharleen.

3. If the caseload is full

   You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.

4. The first conversation

   A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.

5. If the fit is wrong

   Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.

05 · Before you commit

4 questions worth asking Sharleen

Built from what Sharleen actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Sharleen's - Sharleen has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.

• “You list both Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Client-Centred Therapy. Which do you lean on with someone like me?”

  Those two point in different directions - one structured and led by the therapist, the other led by you. The answer tells you what the sessions will actually feel like.

• “How do you decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”

  Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.

• “With 28 years in, what has changed most in how you work?”

  Long experience is only an advantage if it has been examined. This tends to surface whether it has.

• “How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”

  On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.

06 · Practical details

Credentials and licensing

Credential

LCSW

Licensed in

Florida

Licence

FL LCSW SW13098

Licence number

SW13098

Licence expires

31 Mar 2027

NPI

1306210968

Years in practice

28

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Sharleen's name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 10 Oct 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.

The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.

Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Sharleen. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.

Something on this page wrong or out of date? Report it and it will be checked against the source.