About Sharon Skelton, MFT

Sacramento Therapist

Psychotherapy is a second career for me, and the work I can foresee doing until I’m 80. Every day, I am amazed by the profound changes that can happen when people take time to examine their lives wholeheartedly.

I came to the practice of psychotherapy through the field of education. I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from UCLA and a Masters in Counseling Psychology from John F. Kennedy University. I hold an earned specialization in Children and Adolescent Therapy.

At UCLA I trained to teach autistic children at the Clinic for the Behavioral Treatment of Children, and continued that work in the private sector for a number of years. I completed my education degree at San Francisco State University and taught schoolchildren ages 6 to 10 in a multiage classroom for ten years.

I’ve worked in counseling centers and mental health agencies, and as a school-based counselor in several districts. I am a certified EMDR therapist and full member of EMDRIA, the EMDR International Association.  My experience is that EMDR can be remarkably effective in reducing of removing the negative effects of trauma.

For over 20 years, I have been a student of yoga and meditation. It is my habit to study the texts and practices of as many of the world’s wisdom traditions as I can.  I often use mindfulness practices, like guided imagery, in my therapeutic work.  The research showing the psychological and neurobiological benefits of mindfulness techniques, including prayer,  is extensive and still growing. To keep up on this research, I follow the work of, among others, Dr. Daniel Siegel and Dr. Bessel van de Kolk.

My children are young adults and my husband and I have had a good, 20-year-long marriage. On off days, I work in my vegetable garden, cook, and take long walks.  I see a lot of movies, am an avid reader, and lover of the Sierras.

Clients and friends often ask me,  “How can you do it? Doesn’t being a therapist bring you down?” And my answer to that is, unequivocally, that I love my work. I feel privileged to be working with the people who are changing their lives in order to live more authentically and experience more joy in their relationships. I think that benefits everyone.

Professional Affiliations:
CAMFT, the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists
AAMFT, the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists

EMDRIA, The EMDR International Association