LCSW-C, 11 years of experience
Hi, I’m Sashauna Gardner, LCSW-C, LICSW, and founder of Destined for Healing. I’m a licensed therapist with nearly a decade of experience supporting individuals and couples through life transitions, emotional pain, trauma recovery, and relational struggles. My work is trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and rooted in clinical best practices. I specialize in helping clients navigate anxiety, depression, identity concerns, faith-related pain, childhood trauma, and emotionally unavailable relationships. While I welcome clients of all backgrounds, I also offer Christian-integrated therapy for those who wish to include their faith. I specialize in trauma informed, faith-sensitive therapy that honors your story and makes space for healing at your pace. Together, we'll explore how early family dynamics, spiritual wounds, or unhealed relational patterns may be shaping your present struggles and help you break free from cycles of silence, performance, or self-neglect. I believe healing is sacred work and I see therapy as a safe and collaborative space to process grief, anxiety, complex family ties, and major life transitions without shame. If you're looking for a therapist who honors both your clinical needs and your spiritual journey, I invite you to connect. Let's build something rooted in truth, safety and restoration.
In our first session, I’ll take time to get to know you, your story, your strengths, and what’s bringing you to therapy right now. We’ll explore what you hope to gain from our work together and begin identifying any patterns or challenges that feel important to name. This is a space where you don’t have to have it all figured out. You can expect curiosity, compassion, and zero judgment as we start to build a connection and lay the foundation for your healing journey.
My greatest strengths as a therapist are my ability to hold space with deep compassion while offering honest, grounded reflection. I help clients feel seen without pressure to perform or hide their pain. My approach blends emotional insight with practical tools, so clients not only understand their patterns but also feel empowered to shift them. I bring cultural humility, spiritual sensitivity (when requested), and a trauma-informed lens to every session, meeting each person where they are and walking with them at their pace.
I’m best positioned to support individuals who are navigating life transitions, recovering from trauma, or feeling emotionally stuck despite trying to hold it all together. Many of my clients are deeply introspective and high-functioning on the outside, yet privately struggling with anxiety, sadness, relationship wounds, or a sense of disconnection from themselves. Whether you're working to rebuild after betrayal, process childhood pain, or simply want to understand yourself more deeply, I meet you with warmth, honesty, and culturally responsive care. I also specialize in supporting those who desire faith-based therapy as part of their healing journey.
I have experience utilizing Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) to support clients who have experienced various forms of trauma, including childhood abuse, interpersonal violence, and medical trauma. TF-CBT provides a structured, evidence-based framework that balances trauma processing with emotional regulation, psycho-education, and skill-building, making it particularly effective for clients who struggle with anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms rooted in early or complex trauma. In my practice, I adapt TF-CBT based on the client’s developmental stage, cultural background, and current coping capacity. I begin with psychoeducation to help clients understand how trauma affects the brain and body, followed by skill development in areas such as relaxation, cognitive coping, and emotional regulation. I place a strong emphasis on building safety and trust, especially for clients who have experienced betrayal or attachment wounds. When appropriate and with consent, I guide clients through the trauma narrative phase, helping them process and reframe their traumatic experiences in a safe and structured way. I also work collaboratively to challenge unhelpful beliefs that have developed as a result of trauma such as shame, guilt, or feelings of helplessness, while reinforcing their strengths and resilience. Throughout the process, I integrate grounding techniques, mindfulness, and body-based awareness to ensure clients remain regulated and empowered. I also support clients in identifying and enhancing their social supports, preparing them for the final phase of TF-CBT, which focuses on future safety and growth. TF-CBT has been a foundational approach in helping my clients reclaim their voice, understand their trauma in context, and move toward healing with greater emotional clarity and self-compassion.
I incorporate Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) into my clinical work as a compassionate, values-driven framework that helps clients build psychological flexibility. My experience with ACT has shown it to be particularly effective for clients struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma, and identity-related stress. I use ACT to help clients shift from avoidance-based coping to a more open and present stance with their emotions, encouraging them to acknowledge difficult thoughts and feelings without judgment or suppression. Through mindfulness, cognitive defusion, and acceptance strategies, I support clients in disentangling from unhelpful narratives and developing a more grounded connection to their values. Together, we explore what truly matters to them, and I guide them in taking small, intentional steps toward a meaningful life even in the presence of emotional discomfort. In session, I often incorporate experiential exercises, metaphors, and values clarification tools to help clients stay connected to the “why” behind their healing. ACT allows me to hold space for both pain and purpose in the therapeutic process, making it a powerful method for fostering resilience, authenticity, and long-term change.
I regularly integrate Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) into my clinical work, particularly with clients experiencing emotional dysregulation, impulsivity, trauma responses, and relationship instability. My experience with DBT has shown it to be highly effective in helping clients build skills for managing intense emotions, improving interpersonal effectiveness, and reducing self-defeating behaviors. I use a trauma-informed and client-centered approach to introduce DBT’s core modules, mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness, in a way that is paced and accessible. In session, I guide clients through real-life application of these skills, often using worksheets, role-play, and weekly tracking to build confidence and self-awareness. I also emphasize the dialectical balance between acceptance and change, helping clients validate their emotional experiences while also encouraging growth and accountability. Whether working with adolescents, adults, or clients navigating complex trauma or mood disorders, DBT provides a structured yet flexible framework that empowers clients to respond to life with greater intention, stability, and self-respect.
I use CBT to help clients identify and challenge unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors. It is effective in treating depression, anxiety, and trauma by fostering greater self-awareness and promoting actionable, skills-based change.
I incorporate biblical principles and prayer for clients who desire faith-integrated therapy. Grounded in Scripture, this approach supports emotional healing while honoring spiritual convictions and fostering deeper trust in God’s plan.