Sara Appleton

Sara provides individual therapy to clients seeking integrative mind-body alignment by exploring each client as a whole. Together, we will examine your wants and desires to restore the delicate harmony that creates balance. She treats people as human beings and does not reduce them to their personal difficulties, allowing clients to illuminate the solutions already buried inside them. Her focus is to foster a collaborative, safe environment for each person who attends a session.

Sara graduated from ASU, double majoring in psychology and neuropsychology. She completed her MS at Grand Canyon University in 2017. Her first two years as a counselor were spent working at an inpatient behavioral health hospital, working with the adult and child populations. These experiences allowed Sara to discover what she was passionate about and where she would be the most successful. She understood that our mental health is intertwined with our body. When that relationship is strained, things worsen.

When COVID started, it gave Sara the opportunity to earn a nutritional certification known as the NTP (Nutritional Therapy Practitioner) certificate. With this knowledge, Sara has adopted the approach of considering all angles of a client's life that could be causing them to be out of balance. Something a few small changes make all the difference.

Sara holds many certificates and specialties within anxiety, depression, ADHD, autism, nutrition, women's health & issues, to name a few. Sara has a passion for helping women within the perinatal and postnatal journey, managing depression, anxiety, and the unique issues concerning the LGBTQA2S+ community. As her clients' lives change through family changes, divorce, loss, or retirement, she is making sure she is able to understand what is happening by continuing to educate herself within the modalities and specialties she focuses on.

Sara specializes in a variety of therapeutic techniques, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), mindfulness-based stress reduction, motivational interviewing, ACT (acceptance & commitment therapy, and Solution-focused brief therapy. Her experiences in this field have truly led me to believe in the power of compassion and understanding to promote healing and growth. Sara often asks for permission, focuses on the client feeling respected & heard, and encourages the client to express what they need from the session.

Sara's journey toward a healthy lifestyle has given me insight into many challenges one may face. She strives to create a warm, non-judgmental space where clients feel seen, heard, and valued.

Before the first session, Sara will personally complete a consultation. She is passionate about good fit and answering questions. She believes that doing so creates the beginning of the counselor-client relationship, and the potential client has the opportunity to feel at ease with the direction they have forged together.

During the first session, Sara and the client review the biopsychosocial forms, Hippa, Informed consent, and additional questions. They will discuss the main reasons for starting therapy in detail. They set goals, and Sara will discuss various techniques for addressing them. This is a 55-minute session. At the end, Sara and the client will review the information, do a check-in (e.g., moving forward, making changes, or not a good fit), and, lastly, set the session frequency, date, and time.

Sara is looking forward to speaking with you should this align!