About Thom
Thom Barry is a licensed clinical social worker who helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, addiction, trauma, relationship and intimacy struggles, grief, sleep problems, anger, ADHD, and related issues. He works with clients who want clearer coping strategies and steadier emotional balance. Thom offers a direct, approachable style and focuses on building a trusting working relationship.
Thom emphasizes practical problem solving rather than jargon. He likens emotional overload to carrying an invisible bucket that fills with stressors.
Background and approach
Therapy becomes a place to empty the bucket and learn ways to keep it from overflowing again. Sessions aim to be collaborative, down-to-earth, and sometimes even find room for humor. In the room he helps people name what they feel and think, and then plans doable steps toward change.
He uses techniques that target thoughts, behaviors, and attachment patterns to reduce symptoms and improve relationships. Thom also works with people coping with life transitions, caregiver strain, chronic illness, and identity concerns such as LGBT issues. With eight years of clinical experience, Thom brings steady support and practical tools.
He holds a Tennessee LCSW license, TN LCSW 7131, and offers services to people in Tennessee and beyond. Sessions are offered in English and can be arranged to fit individual needs. Thom’s approach centers on clear communication and gradual skill building.
He encourages clients to take small, manageable steps toward change and to practice the new skills between sessions. The aim is real improvement that fits daily life, not abstract insight alone.
How Thom’s Approaches Work Online
Attachment-based work focuses on patterns in relationships and how early bonds shape current trust and closeness. It helps people notice relational habits and try new ways of connecting that feel safer and more satisfying.Client-centered therapy centers conversations on the client’s experience, with the therapist offering acceptance and gentle guidance. This approach suits people who need space to clarify feelings and set their own goals. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at how thoughts and behaviors keep problems going and teaches practical skills to change them. CBT is often used for anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and anger management.
Choosing an approach is collaborative. Thom will discuss goals, preferences, and what has helped or not helped in the past. Together they will try methods that fit the person’s needs and adjust as progress is made.
Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to add flexibility. Video works well for deeper conversation and visual cues. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited. Live chat and text messaging work for shorter check-ins, homework support, or when a written thread helps keep track of progress. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy lives and to continue work even when travel or schedules change.
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
Also works with
- Abandonment
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Co-morbidity
- Coaching
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Dependent personality
- Depression
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Hoarding
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Intellectual disability
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- LGBT
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Post-traumatic stress
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Relationship issues
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sleeping disorders
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 8 years
- Licensed
- Tennessee
- Languages
- English