I am a licensed professional counselor in DC and a counselling psychologist in the UK. I have master's degrees in mental health counseling, social anthropology, and the psychology of mental health, as well as a doctorate in counselling psychology. I help couples struggling in their relationships. I also help individuals struggling with trauma and general difficulties thriving in their lives.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
In the first session, I will ask you questions to get to know you and your needs better. You are always free to share whatever you want and to decline to share things that make you uncomfortable. I will give you the opportunity to ask me any questions you may have as well. We will work together to see if we are a good fit as client and therapist. In every session, I try to create a safe space that is completely accepting and free from judgment. I want you to leave sessions feeling like you were really heard and understood. With some clients we will make a sort of treatment plan if they want something more structured, although I do not do fully structured therapy. Other clients prefer to just work with what comes up for them every week and that is ok too. The client is in the driver's seat, I am just there to help them get to where they want to go.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
I have been in the mental health field for about 9 years in a wide variety of settings. I am able to work with most people and genuinely enjoy getting to know my clients. Clients will not scare me off with their story and can feel free to be honest with me. I integrate quite a few therapeutic approaches in my practice and I tailor them to meet individual clients' needs. If there is something that is not working for them, we switch it up. Being able to pull from multiple approaches gives me more tools I can use to help clients achieve their goals, which can be a really big benefit to them.
Describe the client(s) you are best positioned to serve.
I love working with couples struggling with communication issues and helping them learn how to speak to each other and how to hear each other. I also love working with individuals with complex trauma problems who are working to take their lives back. Trauma presents in so many different ways, including most mental health diagnoses, and I enjoy supporting clients' healing journeys.
About Sara Mackey
Specializes in
Serves ages
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Appointments
VirtualMy treatment methods
Couples Counseling
I use techniques from Gottman therapy and integrate other approaches to work on communication in your relationship. I also help you work on strengthening your relationship so it can withstand troubles in the future. Additionally, I am able to offer pre-marital therapy and pre-natal therapy for couples. I also can help with conversations about amicable separations and divorces when needed. Please note that I do not work with couples where chronic abuse exists within the relationship. This includes physical, sexual, emotional, or verbal abuse.
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
I integrate DBT into my practice to help with issues related to emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal relationship difficulties. This approach can be used with many different issues including trauma, depression, anxiety, and borderline personality disorder. Even without a diagnosis, DBT skills can be helpful in everyday life.
Person-centered (Rogerian)
Person-centered therapy is all about the therapeutic relationship. This is the most important approach in my way of working. I create a space that is completely safe and accepting where you can be yourself. This allows you to explore things you are struggling with without any fear of rejection or judgement.
Gender-affirming therapy
I work with a lot of people in the LGBTQIA+ community, including transgender people and people who are exploring their sexual and gender identities to discover who they are.
Feminist
Feminist therapy is about empowerment and is appropriate for all genders. This approach helps you take control over your life and make decisions about what you want your life to look like.