Jill Sherwood, LMHC

Jill Sherwood is a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) based in Iowa who uses practical, evidence-informed approaches to help people move forward. She focuses on clear strategies and steady support for everyday problems. Jill listens without judgment and aims to make therapy approachable for people under stress.

She works with common concerns such as anxiety, depression, grief, addiction, trauma, relationship and intimacy issues, and trouble sleeping. Jill also helps with parenting strain, caregiver stress, codependency, and life transitions. Her work includes addressing both mood disorders and complex situations like chronic illness or blended family challenges.

Jill blends Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Client-Centered work, and EMDR into her sessions. She draws on six years of experience in nonprofit, residential, and clinical settings. That background includes leading groups and supporting people involved with the Department of Human Services and the Department of Corrections.

Sessions are built around practical steps people can try between meetings. Jill emphasizes skills practice, values-based goals, and noticing patterns that get in the way of change. She encourages small, manageable shifts rather than dramatic overhauls.

People meet her for steady guidance when life feels overwhelming, when loss or trauma needs processing, or when habits and relationships are not working. Jill offers a calm, compassionate presence and partners with clients to set realistic goals and track progress.

CBT, ACT, and EMDR approaches for online care

Jill commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people notice unhelpful thoughts and try different behaviors. CBT breaks problems into manageable steps and teaches specific skills to reduce anxiety, improve mood, and change patterns of avoidance. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is also part of her work; ACT focuses on clarifying personal values and building actions that match those values while accepting unpleasant feelings that come up.

She may also integrate elements of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing for processing traumatic memories when appropriate. EMDR uses guided attention and focused recall to reduce the intensity of traumatic images and thoughts. Choosing which approach to use is a shared process - the therapist and client discuss preferences, goals, and what feels most useful, and then they adjust methods as progress unfolds.

Online therapy offers flexibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. Video is useful for in-depth sessions and teaching skills, phone calls work well when bandwidth is limited, brief check-ins can happen by live chat, and messaging supports ongoing reflection between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy days and to continue work even when schedules change.