Hello all,
I use PSE11... not the most capable, but still is pretty much PS engine-driven. That said...
I generally refrain from using a ton of PP techniques and (other than the basics of straighten, crop, adjust in RAW, convert and check/adjust the various options)...
As a simpler method of sharpening, I've rather stumbled upon the High Pass Filter.

Our Traditional options:
Unsharp Mask.
Newer option: Adjust Sharpness
Both of the above require what seems to be lots of +/- adjustments.

High Pass Sharpening seems to work nicely without oversharpening (it shows you where you may be getting halos). I'm not into "layers" but this one is pretty simple...
- Open photo
- Duplicate layer
- Filter-Other-High Pass (your image will look like a gray mudslide... but not to worry)
- Move slider till you can barely see the outline of your subject.
- Click ok
- In Layers Panel, set Blend mode for Overlay. Sharpened photo shows up.
You can save, merge or flatten (if desired) from there.

Would love to know your thoughts on this process. Thanks!