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Headway
Headshot of Sharon Appling, LCSW

Sharon Appling

Therapist
18 years of experience
  • Virtual
  • Depression, Family issues, Stress management, Maternal mental health, Women's issues
  • Individual therapy, Child or adolescent therapy, Family therapy

Great to meet you!

I'm Sharon, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and for 20 years I've walked alongside individuals and families through life's most tender chapters. For the past decade my focus has been maternal mental health — supporting women through pregnancy, postpartum depression and anxiety, birth trauma, infertility, and the identity shift of becoming a mother.

I also work with adults facing depression, panic, grief and loss, PTSD and trauma, relationship strain, and life transitions that leave you stretched thin. As an EMDR-trained, trauma-informed therapist, I pair real clinical depth with genuine warmth. Whatever brought you here — worry, sadness, burnout, or a quiet sense that something needs to change — you don't have to carry it alone anymore.

My approach to therapy

Therapy with me is collaborative and unhurried. We'll get curious together about what isn't working anymore — the patterns, often passed down through generations, that quietly shape how you cope, connect, and see yourself — then build a plan rooted in your goals, not a formula. I use Interpersonal Psychotherapy and psychodynamic work to make sense of relationships and long-standing patterns, Motivational Interviewing when you feel stuck, and a humanistic, person-centered stance so you feel seen rather than analyzed. For mothers and families, I also offer Child-Parent Psychotherapy and psychoeducational family work to strengthen the bonds that matter most.

My style is warm, curious, and practical: you set the pace, I bring the structure, and we track what's changing together.

What you can expect from me

Our first session has no pressure — we'll get to know each other, talk about what brought you in, with room for your questions. Early on, I focus on helping you feel steadier: sleeping better, breathing through panic, and quieting the voice that says you should handle everything perfectly.

Over time, clients tell me they feel like themselves again — more present with their children and partners, more confident in their choices, and able to set boundaries without guilt. You'll build tools to regulate hard emotions, process what's weighed on you, and reconnect with what gives your life meaning. Change isn't a straight line, but you won't walk it alone.

About me

  • I identify as
    Caucasian, Woman
  • My style is
    Affirming, Warm, Open Minded

Qualification and insurance

  • Years of experience
    18 years of experience
  • Training
    MSW (Master of Social Work) at Syracuse University
  • License type
    LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker) (Texas)
  • Licensed in
  • Insurance accepted
    Aetna, Ascension, Carelon Behavioral Health, Cigna, Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Jersey, Independence Blue Cross Pennsylvania - Virtual National Network

Cost

Care details

  • Top specialties
    Depression, Family issues, Stress management, Maternal mental health, Women's issues
  • More specialties
    Anxiety, Bipolar disorder, LGBTQIA+, Panic disorders, Cultural & ethnic issues, End of life care, Grief or loss, Physical health issues, Relationship issues, Trauma, PTSD, Infertility
  • Therapy methods
    Motivational Interviewing, Psychodynamic, Humanistic, Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Child-Parent Psychotherapy, Psychoeducational Family Therapy
  • Care types
    Individual therapy, Child or adolescent therapy, Family therapy
  • Ages served
    Adolescents, Adults
  • Languages
    English