- Years in practice
- 5
- Credentials
- LMFT
- Licensed in
- California
- Languages
- English
- Focus
- Stress, Anxiety
- Focus
- Trauma and abuse
- Focus
- Depression
About Sara
Sara Contreras is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) practicing in California. She draws on five years of experience helping people cope with stress, anxiety, trauma, depression, and major life changes. She aims to create a welcoming space where clients can talk frankly about what’s on their mind without feeling judged.
In sessions she focuses on practical steps that fit into daily life. She listens for patterns in relationships, attachment, and behavior, and then works with clients to try new ways of responding.
Background and approach
Common topics include parenting challenges, sleep problems, anger, self-esteem, grief, and career concerns. Sara uses approaches such as attachment-based work, client-centered methods, cognitive behavioral tools, existential ideas, and EMDR when appropriate. That lets her mix talk and action - checking how thoughts, feelings, and past experiences affect present problems.
She explains techniques in plain language so people can use them between sessions. She also supports people dealing with ADHD, LGBT concerns, intimacy issues, and compassion fatigue, plus focused areas like abandonment, body image, caregiver stress, chronic illness, and codependency. Sara pays attention to safety and pacing when trauma or dissociation are present.
Session formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. To start, a short matching questionnaire helps pair someone with her and schedule a time that works.
What Sara works with
Everything Sara lists, in the therapist's own terms. Parenting is the reason this directory exists; the rest shows what else Sara helps people with.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
- Depression
- Coping with life changes
- ADHD
- LGBT
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Sleeping disorders
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Compassion fatigue
- Abandonment
- Attachment issues
- BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Phobias
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexual dysfunction
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
Approaches Sara lists
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Existential Therapy
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Somatic Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist names and does not check training records.
How Sara's Approaches Work Online
Attachment-based work focuses on how early relationships shape current feelings and patterns. Online sessions let the therapist and client look at recurring relationship reactions and practice new ways of connecting or setting boundaries that help day-to-day life.Client-centered therapy emphasizes listening and understanding the client's perspective. In remote sessions this means the therapist reflects back what she hears and helps clients name their priorities and values so they can make clearer choices.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, targets unhelpful thoughts and behaviors with straightforward exercises. In online meetings Sara can teach practical CBT tools like thought records and behavior experiments that people can try between sessions to reduce anxiety or improve mood.
Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. She will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what feels most useful, then adjust methods as therapy progresses to better match needs.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video works well for more in-depth conversations and exercises, phone can fit a shorter check-in, and messaging is useful for brief updates or when someone prefers writing. These options make scheduling easier and let people use therapy around work, childcare, or other obligations.
Questions people ask about Sara
What concerns does she help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, depression, grief, parenting strain, and related issues such as sleep problems, anger, and self-esteem.
What is her therapeutic style?
Her style blends client-centered listening with attachment work and cognitive-behavioral strategies to address thoughts, feelings, and relationship patterns.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has five years of professional experience as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California.
Where is she licensed and based?
She is licensed as an LMFT in California and provides services from that state.
Which languages are supported?
Sessions are offered in English.
What session formats are available?
Sessions can be held by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging.
How does cost and payment work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working together?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule a session based on the therapist's availability.
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