Pam Bolarinho, LICSW

Pam Bolarinho, LICSW, is a licensed independent clinical social worker and a full-time VP of Acute Care Services with two decades of experience in social work and clinical leadership. She began her career in community-based work with the Healthy Families Program and served as a social worker for the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families before earning a Master of Social Work from Bridgewater State University, where she represented her MSW cohort as class representative.

Her clinical and administrative background includes serving as an ESP Director for the past three years, working as a Clinical Director in an inpatient psychiatric facility, and managing social work services at an acute medical hospital for more than seven years. A Portuguese American who immigrated to the United States at age five, she has focused her career on supporting vulnerable populations and building partnerships across systems.

Pam has collaborated with community organizations such as the Suicide Prevention Coalition, Help & Hope Southcoast, labor and human trafficking initiatives, and opioid response teams. She helped launch a co-response program with a local police department nearly three years ago that brought care into the community for over 400 people and kept more than 65 percent of those individuals at home rather than in emergency rooms. She also works with providers, agencies, law enforcement, and regional behavioral health partners to reduce unnecessary emergency department use.

As a patient-centered, strengths-based clinician, Pam has extensive experience supporting people affected by trauma, end-of-life issues, foster care and adoption challenges, reactive attachment disorder, elder concerns, addiction, and long-term mental health conditions.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care

Pam Bolarinho integrates client-centered therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy into her practice. Client-centered therapy focuses on listening with empathy and helping people identify their own strengths and goals - it is useful for building trust, improving self-esteem, and navigating life transitions. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) helps people notice and change unhelpful thinking patterns and behaviors, which can be effective for anxiety, depression, stress, and many day-to-day challenges.

She approaches treatment collaboratively, working with each person to determine which methods fit best based on their needs, goals, and preferences. That process may include combining techniques or shifting approaches over time so the work stays relevant and practical for the individual.

Online therapy with Pam is offered through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to provide flexibility for busy schedules, caregiving responsibilities, work demands, or mobility limits. These options make it easier to maintain consistent care, try brief focused sessions, or continue work during major life changes while still receiving support from licensed professionals and therapists who guide the process.