Pam Bolarinho, LICSW

Pam Bolarinho, LICSW, focuses on helping people carry the heavy parts of life. She brings calm and practical support for stress, anxiety, grief, addiction, and parenting strain. Pam speaks English and Portuguese and draws on two decades in social work to guide conversations and plan next steps.

She began her career in home visiting with the Healthy Families Program and later worked for the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families. Pam earned a Master of Arts in Social Work from Bridgewater State University and has held clinical leadership roles in inpatient psychiatric care and acute medical hospital settings.

In recent years Pam has led programs that connect community agencies, police departments, and behavioral health organizations. She helped start a co-response program that keeps many people at home instead of in emergency rooms. Her work includes collaboration with suicide prevention groups, opioid task forces, and anti–human trafficking efforts.

Pam uses a client-centered, strength-based way of working. She listens first and then helps people identify practical steps they can try between sessions. She often uses cognitive techniques and solution-focused ideas to break problems into manageable pieces.

Her practice includes support around trauma, adoption and foster care issues, attachment concerns, caregiver stress, eating and body image struggles, and relationship or communication problems. Pam aims to make sessions feel down-to-earth and useful for everyday life.

Therapeutic approaches and how they work online

Client-centered therapy puts the person's experience front and center and focuses on listening, understanding, and building on strengths to manage daily challenges and caregiver stress. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors connect and teaches concrete skills to reduce anxiety, manage mood swings, and change unhelpful patterns. Motivational Interviewing helps people find their own reasons to change, which can be useful for addictions, ambivalence about treatment, or making lifestyle shifts.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Pam works together with each person to choose methods that fit their goals, values, and pace. She adjusts strategies as needs evolve so sessions feel practical and meaningful.

Session formats are not specified here, so confirm current options before booking. Many people find online therapy helps them fit care into busy days, makes follow-up easier after a stressful event, and allows for brief check-ins when schedules are tight. Online work can also make it simpler to involve community supports and track progress between visits, while keeping sessions focused on real-life problems and solutions.