PuttingFamilyFirst

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SP Portrait of Dr. Sherrin Packer-Rosenthal
Online therapist

Dr. Sherrin Packer-Rosenthal

Support for parents and family life

Credentials
LCSW, LPCC
Experience
40 years
Licensed in
California
Languages
English
Format
Online sessions

About Sherrin

Dr. Sherrin Packer-Rosenthal welcomes parents and families who are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or uncertain about how to handle change. She writes plainly and listens closely so people can say what matters to them.

Her approach aims to help caregivers feel more confident and calm in daily life with children and partners. She uses clear, practical tools to manage stress and anxiety. Conversations focus on what is happening now and on small, doable steps that make a difference at home.

Background and approach

Sessions also address trauma, abuse, and major life transitions when those issues affect family life. Dr. Packer-Rosenthal holds both a Licensed Clinical Social Worker credential and a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor credential.

She brings four decades of practice in California and draws on work with community mental health, shelters, and school systems to guide families toward helpful resources. She stays current with research in psychology, neurology, and biology and applies methods with a careful eye toward what fits each family.

The work is collaborative - parents learn skills, build repair strategies for everyday ruptures, and practice new ways of relating that support long-term family wellbeing. Her training includes an NIMH fellowship in community mental health and mentorship with clinicians focused on trauma and attachment.

She also became a credentialed school counselor to assist families with early identification and school planning such as IEPs and 504 plans.

Therapeutic approaches for online family work

Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on how relationships shape feelings and behavior. It helps parents and children understand patterns of closeness and distance, and learn new ways to connect and repair after conflicts. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, teaches straightforward skills to notice thoughts, shift unhelpful thinking, and change behaviors that increase stress and anxiety. It is useful for managing daily worries and building problem-solving habits. The Gottman Method offers structured ways to improve couple and family communication, strengthen friendship in relationships, and handle conflict with predictable steps and exercises.

Finding the right approach is collaborative. The therapist will talk with the family about goals, try methods that match those goals, and adjust the plan as needed. Clients and caregivers take an active role in choosing what feels useful and practical for their household.

Online therapy allows these methods to be delivered by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. That variety makes it easier to fit sessions around school, work, and caregiving duties. It also lets parents practice skills between meetings and check in in shorter written or live sessions when questions come up.

Attachment-Based Therapy

Looks at how early bonds shaped what you expect from closeness, and how that plays out now with a partner, a parent, or your own children.

Client-Centered Therapy

The direction comes from you rather than from a set programme. The therapist offers a warm, non-judgemental space to think out loud and work at your own pace. Online, this rests on the relationship rather than on being in the same room.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT looks at the link between what you think, how you feel, and what you do. You work on noticing unhelpful patterns and practising steadier responses. It suits online sessions well, because much of the work happens between appointments and can be talked through from anywhere.

Frequently asked questions

What concerns does she commonly address?
She helps with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, parenting challenges, and coping with life changes. Additional focus areas include adoption and foster care, attachment issues, caregiver stress, chronic illness, and body image.
What is her general therapy style?
Her style is collaborative and practical. She creates space to talk, teaches skills for managing feelings, and works on repairing everyday relationship ruptures.
How much experience does she have?
She has 40 years of professional experience working in community mental health, shelters, schools, and independent practice settings.
What credentials and location are listed?
She holds LCSW and LPCC credentials - California LCSW 82041 and CA LPCC 1127 - and practices in California.
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English only.
Can people outside the country work with her?
International clients are not accepted at this time.
What session formats are available?
Sessions can be conducted by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging.
How are costs and subscriptions handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.

Specialties and expertise

Top specialties

Experience
40 years
Licensed
California
Languages
English

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