Hello. My name is Sarah. I am a Clinical Social Worker and have been practicing in the social work, counseling, and helping services fields for over twenty years. I've been a child and family therapist. I've worked with high risk children and adolescents transitioning in or out of psychiatric units. I have worked with families and couples in conflict. I have provided tens of thousands of hours of case management and care coordination. I've been a Clinical Director and State Coordinator serving populations living with HIV and other chronic conditions. I have been a Crisis Intervention Specialist. I have worked extensively with persons living with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, as well as with folks living with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
For many years I've provided training and consultation to my lived-in communities, as well as broader communities, on trauma informed care, non-physical de-escalation, neurotypical and neurodiverse development, healthy boundaries, positive psychology, as well as compassion fatigue and burnout prevention.
I have a very social work approach to care and treatment, which for me means that I use a holistic, person-in-environment approach. We do not exist in silos. Our histories, our social, financial and privilege statuses, our families of origins, created and chosen families, our workplaces, our cultures, our geographies even all have an affect on our well-being. I do not ignore these, but incorporate awareness of these into my work with clients and utilize the strengths that surround us to understand, repair and reinforce.
My goal as a therapist ultimately is to guide and empower you toward greater well-being. That takes place often through acting a witness to your past pain. Through acknowledgement of challenges and development of strengths. Through validation of your experience, your effort and your capacity, as well as understanding real limitations. It takes place in part through education and information. Through skill building and practice. Through exploring and challenging unhelpful patterns of thought and behavior and replacing those with some that are more aligned with your hoped for outcomes. It happens by maximizing internal and external resources. Through advocacy. Through empowerment.
I am the mother of four children, currently aged twelve to twenty. I have experienced life disruptions of many kinds. I am a very real person. Practical, but aspirational. I am hopeful. And enthusiastic. I empathetic. I am kind. I am a very good listener. And I am already really glad you are here seeking something healthy for you. I very much hope you find it!
Additional areas of focus: Addictions, LGBT, Relationship issues, Family conflicts, Trauma and abuse, Grief, Sleeping disorders, Anger management, Career difficulties, Bipolar disorder, Coping with life changes, Coaching, Compassion fatigue, Abandonment, Adoption and Foster Care, Attachment issues, Autism and Asperger Syndrome, Blended Family Issues, Cancer, Caregiver issues and stress, Chronic pain illness and disability, Co-morbidity, Codependency, Communication problems, Coping with Natural or Human-Caused Disaster, Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD), Dissociation, Divorce and separation, Domestic Violence, Emptiness, Family of Origin Issues, Family Problems, First Responder Issues, Forgiveness, Guilt and shame, HIV / AIDS, Impulsivity, Intellectual Disability, Isolation / loneliness, Life purpose, Midlife crisis, Mood disorders , Obsessions, Compulsions, and OCD, Panic disorder and panic attacks, Personality Disorders, Postpartum Depression, Post-traumatic stress, Pregnancy and childbirth, Self-Harm, Self-love, Sexuality, Social anxiety and phobia, Traumatic Brain Injury, Women's issues, Workplace issues, Young Adult Issues
Clinical approaches: Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Gottman Method, Mindfulness Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Narrative Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, Trauma-Focused Therapy, Internal Family Systems
TX LCSW 67568
WA LICSW LW60822217