hi, I'm SARA
Are you struggling with feeling anxious or depressed? Do you feel like your needs are not met in relationships or you prioritize others over yourself? Do you want to be more effective when communicating with others? Did you grow up with parents who didn’t give you the space to make mistakes or be yourself?
These are all areas of growth I can help you with! I specialize in anxiety, depression, people-pleasers, communication challenges, challenging childhoods, phase-of-life issues, and relationship/marital problems. I also enjoy working with individuals that are a part of the LGBTQIA+ community and provide LGBTQIA+ affirming therapy.
I am an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist and Associate Professional Clinical Counselor. Through my life experiences, I have gained a greater respect and appreciation for other ways of life, human resilience, and it continues to deepen my empathy. I truly believe that everyone is doing the best they can given their circumstances. I am passionate about guiding and supporting individuals to hone in on their strengths, navigate the stressors of life, and live mindfully to reach their full potential.
In my free time, I enjoy being in nature, dancing, being around animals, spending time with friends, family, and my cat.
I earned my MA in Clinical Psychology with an Emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy at Pepperdine University. During this time, I worked as a school-based therapist providing both individual and group psychotherapy for children and adolescents. I also worked as an equine-assisted therapist for kids, teens, and adults. Currently, I work at Pepperdine University's counseling center. I meet with the undergraduate and graduate students and help with crisis management, suicidality and risk prevention, safety planning, and a variety of other concerns.
I believe it is important to honor each individual’s experiences and provide mental health interventions utilizing an integrative model based on unique client needs. I have a holistic approach and draw upon mindfulness, solution-focused therapy, psychodynamic theory, integrative somatic trauma therapy,, and Dialectical Behavioral therapy (DBT). I hold certifications in Integrative Somatic trauma therapy, Seeking Safety, Clinical competence working with LGBTQ youth and families, Trauma-focused CBT therapy, and Trauma-focused CBT for LGBTQ youth.
My fees are $150/45 minute session or $240/90 min session.
Contact me at Sara@thrivearttherapy.org or (818)208-0134
to set up a brief consultation to see if we are a good fit.
What my clients say about our work together.
Sara is an Asssociate Marriage and Family Therapist 120291 and Associate Professional Clinical Counselor 8113 in the state of California, practicing under the supervision of Rachel Del Dosso, LMFT 111589.