New to Grow
Hello! I'm Sara. I want to acknowledge you as you are taking the first step towards bettering your own mental health, and that's huge. Or, are you looking for someone to work with your child or teenager who is struggling with their own mental health issues? Either way, starting therapy can feel like there's some hope, and it can also feel a little scary. You are looking to change things and that is an incredibly empowering and brave first step!
In our first session together, here's what you can expect
In our first session, I will welcome you to my office and after reviewing important information with you, I aim to establish trust, build rapport, and will listen to you with empathy and compassion. I want to really understand what is distressing you so I may ask you questions such as, "What is the main problem that's bothering you?" "When did it start?" "How is it affecting your life?" "Does anything help make it better?" This will be in a conversational way so that we can be curious about what it is that you are experiencing.
The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions
I am passionate about working with children, teenagers and young adults, and feel comfortable with meeting them where they are at. I utilize evidence based practices and also can incorporate play and creative methods in a therapeutic way. I am calm, grounded, and curious, and will draw from my years of professional training and experience to tailor my approach to meet your needs.
The clients I'm best positioned to serve
My goal is to create a warm, safe, and welcoming setting that encourages clients to work on their concerns related to anxiety, grief, loss, and/or trauma. We will collaborate and work together as a team. For clients dealing with anxiety, we will focus on the present and on what is most distressing to you. We will also include psychoeducation which will empower you. You will also learn new skills which will help ease the anxiety that you may be experiencing. If you or a loved one is living with grief, loss, or trauma, we will focus on what you are experiencing in the present, and will also give space to what happened in the past.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
This method is considered the gold standard for treating anxiety disorders like panic attacks, phobias, and more. We may also use exposure and response prevention, a form of CBT, to treat anxiety and OCD.
Grief Therapy
I have worked with many clients over the years who have experienced grief or loss and know how healing it can be to have grief fully witnessed. I've had the great privilege of completing a 4 month training course with David Kessler and will apply many of the techniques learned there with clients.
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
This is a very gentle therapeutic model that can be used with clients who have experienced trauma, loss, anxiety, and more.