about my approach
I work in an eclectic, collaborative way and I believe our relationship is central to healing. That means I integrate different approaches and theories to get to know you and help you find the best way to stitch your pieces back together, to make something familiar, but new and stronger.
Creating that space to break apart, and to imagine and play with the pieces can only be done if I earn your trust. And so a main focus of my work is creating and reinforcing a trusting and creative relationship.
And while the medical systems we work within use labels to categorize and dictate your care, I prioritize your narrative of yourself and your struggle. Labels can help you gain access to care, but limit the imagination that is necessary for healing.
I specialize in:
anxiety, depression & trauma
child, teens, adult & family therapy
grief, loss & bereavement
lgbtqia+, including letter-writing for Gender-Affirming Care
neurodivergence
therapy for therapists
I am trained in the following fields of therapeutic practice:
Psychodynamic therapy
Collaborative Problem Solving
Motivational Interviewing
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
Working with trauma
Working with suicide
about me
Hi! My name is Sarah.
It may seem obvious, but I’m white. And I’m fairly cisgender, but believe in the fluidity of human identity, including my own. I am originally from the Midwest, and have now lived in the Pacific Northwest nearly 2 decades. I started my PNW journey in Seattle, WA before moving here to Portland after graduate school at the University of Washington. I hold a Masters of Social Work from the UW, where I focused on clinical practice with children, youth, families, and intergenerational trauma. My undergraduate studies were also in social work at Kuyper College, a small christian school, where I advocated fiercely for LGBTQIA+ acceptance in a space that is not historically welcoming.
I’m a lifelong helper, volunteering from a young age with my mother in neighborhood organizations, schools, churches, and craft fairs. After college I served in AmeriCorps with runaway, homeless, and exploited youth. I have worked in residential and acute inpatient mental health settings. And I have also worked in outpatient and school-based mental health, and volunteered at an LGBTQIA+ drop-in center.
The driving force of my professional work comes from my own, ongoing journey recognizing the mess and uncertainty of life, accepting it, and moving forward anyway. I am passionate about working with individuals of all ages and genders, and within family dynamics to help folks build healthy communication and both their sense of self and a sense of connectedness to others and their world.