Holly Gerety

Holly Gerety is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) in Massachusetts with 20 years of clinical experience. She works with adults facing stress, anxiety, grief, relationship concerns, self-esteem struggles, and life transitions. Holly also lists life purpose among her focus areas and supports people wrestling with career questions and caregiving strain.

She keeps sessions practical and person-focused. Conversations center on what is happening now and on concrete steps a person can try between meetings. Holly draws on approaches such as client-centered methods, cognitive behavioral techniques, mindfulness practices, motivational interviewing, and narrative work to help people notice patterns and try new ways of coping.

In a typical session she listens for what matters most to the client, helps clarify goals, and suggests small experiments to test new behaviors or thoughts. She often uses mindfulness to calm intense feelings and CBT-style tools to change unhelpful thinking. Narrative techniques can help people retell difficult experiences in less harmful ways.

Holly has worked with a broad range of adult concerns over two decades, including trauma and abuse, intimacy-related problems, ADHD, workplace stress, and parenting pressures. She also addresses issues like seasonal affective disorder, body image, and social anxiety. Her training as an LICSW grounds clinical judgment and case planning.

People who choose her often want a practical, collaborative approach when life feels stuck after a change. To begin they complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule a first session to set priorities and plan next steps.

How her approaches translate to online sessions

Holly often combines client-centered work and cognitive behavioral therapy in sessions. Client-centered work focuses on listening and letting the person set priorities; it helps when someone wants a space to sort through feelings and decide next steps. Cognitive behavioral therapy looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions and offers practical exercises to reduce anxiety and change unhelpful patterns.

She also uses mindfulness techniques to help manage intense emotions and to practice calmer responses. Mindfulness involves simple breathing and attention exercises that can be used when stress spikes or before difficult conversations.

Finding the right mix of methods is part of the work. The therapist will talk with each person about their goals and preferences and then suggest approaches to try. Clients and therapist check progress together and adjust the plan based on what helps and what does not.

Session formats are not specified in the biography, so confirm current options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit appointments into a busy week, save travel time, and allow for shorter check-ins when needed. They also permit practicing skills in real time between home and work situations, which can help translate what is learned into daily life.