Hello! My name is Sarah and I have been a licensed mental health counselor since 2003. I have also held many titles such as a certified thanatologist (grief and loss), clinical supervisor, and clinic director. I have worked in many settings besides private practice, including community mental health settings where I often worked with the chronically mentally ill, drug court where I worked together with substance use counselors to help people with addiction, and marital counseling centers where I taught communication skills to couples. I have treated clients who have struggled with depression, anxiety, relationship, and/or family issues, phase of life issues, grief and loss, and I have worked with many adult children of alcoholics and the challenge of low self esteem. Asking for help takes a lot of courage, and you should be proud of yourself getting to this point of choosing the right counselor for yourself. I strive to be a safe place for my clients, that they know that they are never judged, only given positive regard and encouragement. I am an interactive therapist, often looking for those “blind spots” my clients can’t see are not in their best interest, and bringing them to light so my client can have those”light bulb” moments of new insight into themselves. I often remind my clients in the beginning that change in therapy is not a “drive through” fix, and it takes a commitment from both the client and the counselor to achieve the goals, outcomes, and change the client is wanting. My approach is very eclectic, learning with years of experience, that different clients learn in different ways. I tend towards the cognitive behavioral, Adlerian, (feelings create thoughts, thoughts create beliefs, and beliefs create belief systems) and psycho-dynamic approaches. I am flexible in my approaches knowing that some clients need a more coaching kind of approach with lots of cheer leading, while others need a more nurturing and gentle approach. I look forward to building a therapeutic alliance and relationship with you !