About Sarah
Hi, I’m Sarah, a Licensed Marital and Family Therapist (1179) in the state of Tennessee and a licensed Independent Marriage and Family Therapist (F.2500538) in the state of Ohio. I approach my work with full humanity - the good, the bad, and the ugly are all welcome. It is important to me to provide enough structure and gentle challenging to move you towards your goals while also making room for the shared delight and agony (and everything in between) of the process. I see you as capable and already knowing more than you think. I can work with you to find where that knowing gets blocked, so something new becomes possible.
Before I was a therapist I was an actor and theater educator. Theater taught me the value of embodiment, of healthy risk-taking, of playful and authentic connection, and of how much we learn about ourselves through the stories we tell and inhabit. My passion for the cathartic power of self-expression led me to psychology, and eventually to a practice that uses creative and body-based approaches alongside more traditional methods. I strongly believe we could all use a little more fun and playfulness in our lives, and that healing is only enhanced by creative thinking and a touch of humor.
I intentionally tailor my approach to each client, and I strongly believe in the importance of the body and our experience to support integration and growth. I particularly enjoy working with people struggling to own their full selves, women who are highly achieving but anxious, individuals feeling deeply stuck, those experiencing the impact of a narcissistic relationship or emotionally immature parent, and clients who have experienced trauma. I have experience working with people recovering from religious or spiritual injury or a high-control group, people struggling with unknown somatic symptoms, and people recovering from complex, single-event, and attachment trauma. While most of my clients are women, I also work with men navigating similar patterns of self-abandonment, people-pleasing, and inherited beliefs.
Outside of my profession, I enjoy hikes and nature, yoga and meditation, cooking, making crafty things, seeing live art, traveling, and connecting with my amazing friends and wonderfully weird family. I have made my home previously in both New York City and San Francisco and am currently enjoying my home in Nashville with my human husband and dog Dennis.
Training & Credentials
I hold a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology with a concentration in Drama Therapy from California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco. I am a Registered Drama Therapist, an AAMFT Approved Supervisor, and a Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner. I am also trained in EMDR and Brainspotting.
I founded Creative Counseling Nashville, my private practice, in 2016, co-founded Experience Therapy Group in 2022, and I have over fifteen years of experience in the field. Before private practice, I worked primarily with teens in the San Francisco Bay Area in educational, community mental health, and residential addiction recovery settings.
Over fifteen years I've drawn from a wide range of approaches — including attachment theory, psychodynamic concepts, Buddhist psychology, CBT, ACT, and solution-focused therapy — pulling what feels most useful for each individual client. My approach is highly relational, believing that the dynamic we create in session can create new relational opportunities for clients outside of session - with themselves and with others.
I have also had the pleasure of being a guest on various podcasts, presenting for professional organizations such as Nashville Psychotherapy Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center Grand Rounds, and TNAMFT, and a guest lecturer for Vanderbilt Human Development Counseling and Northcentral University’s graduate programs.
Additionally, I am a proud co-creator of the Improv for Anxiety class at Unscripted Improv, available in-person in Nashville and online around the world.
My office is located in East Nashville (37207), and I work with clients throughout the greater Nashville area — including Inglewood, Madison, and Donelson — as well as virtually across Tennessee and Ohio.