Sara Giles

Well, Hello There - I’m Sara, a Licensed Therapist with over 17 years of direct clinical experience helping people navigate life’s most difficult chapters. My background includes extensive work with trauma, anxiety, depression, relationship concerns, self-esteem, grief, and major life transitions ("feeling stuck"), and the unique experiences of military members, veterans, and their families.

I am a former active duty US Navy mental health officer (of seven years), and have served in intense, fast-paced operational environments across the world - and those experiences have taught me some incredible lessons on human nature, perseverance, and psychological resilience. (But don't worry - I don't fall into the David Goggins camp. I will never scream at you if you'd like to eat a cookie or suggest that you run a marathon with a broken leg.)

I also have a secondary specialization in religious trauma, cult abuse, and recovery from high-control relationships or coercive work environments.

My goal for each and every therapy session is to provide a comforting, nonjudgmental space where you feel genuinely valued, understood at levels you have not before, and deeply supported as we work toward meaningful, lasting change. I have an uncanny ability to recognize and see the gifts of others - and the potential that lay dormant or unrecognized. Please allow me to help you find your untapped potential, despite the heartbreaks, losses and disappointments you've experienced.

My approach to therapy is honest, nurturing, and individualized—with a focus on cognitive behavioral and narrative techniques. I believe you are the owner & expert of your life story and experience, while my role is to help you better understand how you've been conditioned NOT to see your value, potential, and personal power.

I draw from a variety of therapy techniques, to include Jungian analysis, Cognitive Behavioral and Somatic approaches, as well as Attachment Theory and identity development through a Sociological perspective. Because sometimes the beliefs holding us back, aren't even ours to begin with.

Our first meeting is really about getting to know you—not just what's bringing you to therapy, but who you are as a person, what you've experienced, what matters to you, and what you'd like your life to look and feel like moving forward.

I'll ask questions, listen closely, and help us begin connecting some of the dots. We'll explore what's been weighing on you, what you've already tried, and what you hope to gain from our work together. There will be some necessary clinical questions and paperwork-related housekeeping, but I promise we'll make room for the human side of things, too