Sara Yanney

If you want to dive in and do the hard work of processing and healing your trauma, empowering yourself by learning more about your nervous system and how your emotions, thoughts, and actions all affect one another, while developing your ability to cope with ongoing life stressors I may be a good match for you. I believe that every person has the wisdom in their mind and body to heal from their traumas and strengthen their coping skills. My role is to guide and support you on your journey. I lead with empathy, compassion, and unconditional positive regard to my clients. My job is not to "fix" anyone. My role is to help you uncover and heal from traumas and stressors that have happened in your life and what coping skills and strategies you have built up as a result. If there are strategies that are interfering with your happiness and quality of life, then we will work together to explore other ways to cope.

I am a licensed professional counselor (LPC) and a registered dance/movement therapist (R-DMT). My MA from Naropa University is in Somatic Psychology-Dance/Movement Therapy. I also am a certified Alexander Technique teacher (AmSAT), and I received my graduate level Laban movement analyst certification (GL-CMA) from Columbia College Chicago. I took a lifetime of studying the body, movement, and making art to heal from my own traumas and then began the career path to apply that to clinical skills as a therapist.

As a humanistic-client centered therapist, I offer everything from traditional talk psychotherapy, traditional dance/movement therapy (utilizing movement and body in the therapeutic process) and anything in between for clients who want some movement or somatic processing along with traditional talk therapy. I offer in person, telehealth, or hybrid sessions. I believe that every client knows what they need to heal and find holistic mind and body health. While I am there to guide you on your journey, it is up to the client to determine the balance of processing through talking, movement, mindfulness, making art, using music and sound, etc. for your wellness journey. I use the modalities of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), focusing on the triangle of how our emotions, thoughts, and actions all affect one another with Polyvagal Theory, using knowledge of the nervous system and strengthening healthy pathways while wiring new pathways to heal underlying trauma, building emotional resilience and coping skills to find happiness amid current and future stressors or traumas. All of this is informed by my training and education from my MA in Somatic Psychology with an emphasis on Dance/Movement Therapy from Naropa University as well as my certifications as a Laban Movement Analyst from Columbia College Chicago and Alexander Technique from Alexander Technique Denver and other body-based practices and modalities including Kestenberg Movement Profile and Body-Mind Centering.

As a white, queer, AFAB, partially disabled woman, I believe every person deserves respect and to find their own happiness in their own mind and body, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical or mental abilities, or other socio-cultural identities.

I am not a short-term or quick fix therapist. Our initial sessions will you introducing yourself and beginning to share your story and why you are seeking therapy. It will be up to you how we balance talking with any other modalities you wish to explore such as movement, dance, music, art, etc. As a trauma informed therapist, I will not force you to talk about things you do not want to talk about or have you move or even check in with your body sensations unless you feel regulated enough to do so. I will gradually add in psychoeducation about the nervous system using Polyvagal Theory and how to manage your emotions through the CBT triangle. If it interests you, I will also integrate psychoeducation around the body and movement and how it relates to your mental health.