Dr. Sherrin Packer-Rosenthal, LCSW, LPCC
Compassionate therapist for stress and trauma
About Sherrin
Dr. Sherrin Packer-Rosenthal helps people who are feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, trauma, or parenting challenges. She writes plainly and listens carefully so people can say what they need to say.
Her style aims to make conversations feel manageable and practical for daily life. She has 40 years of professional experience in California as a licensed clinical social worker and licensed professional clinical counselor. Over the years she has supported people coping with big life changes and difficult past experiences.
Background and approach
She focuses on building skills to repair everyday ruptures and to become more confident in relationships and parenting. Her approach draws on body-focused work and attachment ideas, combined with practical therapy tools. Sessions tend to mix talking, learning new skills, and noticing how the body responds to stress.
The goal is to help people feel steadier and more able to act in ways that match their values. Dr. Packer-Rosenthal keeps up with current research in psychology, neurology, and biology.
She looks at new findings carefully and brings methods that fit each person’s needs. She also has experience helping families navigate school issues such as early identification, individualized education programs (IEPs), and Section 504 plans. Her background includes an NIMH fellowship in community mental health and work creating shelters and child support programs.
She trained with noted clinicians in trauma and attachment work and emphasizes developing self-compassion and kindness as part of change.
How somatic and attachment approaches work online
Somatic-informed work focuses on paying attention to bodily signals and gentle movement or breath awareness to reduce stress and improve regulation. It can help with trauma responses, chronic tension, and anxiety by teaching people to notice and shift physical reactions.Attachment-Based Therapy looks at patterns in close relationships and how early experiences affect trust, closeness, and repair after conflicts. It helps people build more supported ways of relating and improve parenting confidence when those patterns feel stuck.
Client-Centered Therapy centers the person’s experience and priorities, offering a respectful, non-directive space to talk through concerns and find personal solutions. It supports people who want to explore feelings and make choices at their own pace.
Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to decide which methods fit their goals, needs, and comfort level. That shared planning helps tailor sessions to what feels most useful in day-to-day life.
Online therapy offers flexible ways to connect through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. These options make it easier to schedule around school, work, or caregiving duties and to keep progress moving between sessions. Many people find the range of formats helps them use therapy in ways that fit their routines and energy levels.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
- Parenting issues
Also works with
- Abandonment
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Avoidant personality
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Fertility issues
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Intellectual disability
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Post-traumatic stress
- Postpartum depression
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 40 years
- Licensed
- California
- Languages
- English