Find a therapist in Manhattan Beach, CA — covered by insurance

I am a board-certified nurse practitioner with many years of experience in healthcare, including primary care, psychiatric mental health, leadership, and wellness-based practice. My background has allowed me to work with individuals facing a wide range of emotional, behavioral, and medical concerns, and I understand how closely mental health and physical health are connected.

My name is Sara. I have been working in the field for over 7 years. I am currently finishing up my PhD in Mindful Andrological practices. I consider myself a very down-to-earth, gentle, and holistic person.

I specialize in supporting adolescents, adults, and families navigating trauma, systemic stress, life transitions, anxiety, depression, and relationship challenges. With 11 years as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, I’ve worked across diverse communities, including Black, Native American, Veteran, and criminal justice-involved populations. Clients often describe me as grounded, direct, and compassionate, and I bring deep respect for each person’s lived experience into the work we do together.

Much of my work lives in the quieter, often invisible seasons of life. The ones rarely named but felt deep in your bones. The long work of trauma recovery and PTSD. The ache of grief. The slow unraveling of relationships you once thought were unshakable. The pull of old abandonment wounds. The disorientation of postpartum identity shifts. The thresholds of career and purpose. These passages can feel like endings, yet they're also quiet beginnings, waiting to be met with care. In our work together, we'll listen for what's ready to be released and make room for what's trying to emerge.

I believe that most people are either stuck repeating a cycle of generational trauma, or carrying the burden of bravely breaking that cycle. You deserve to break that cycle by discovering and embracing your best self, without fear or shame. But I understand that this is not always easy. I can help you break down the barriers that prevent you from achieving your goals and assist you on a transformative journey to becoming the person you want to be. Therapy is a process of the human spirit requiring courage, creativity, and self-compassion and I welcome you to join me.

I have been working in private practice for a few years and before that I worked in non-profits with a variety of individuals and groups. I am the parent of two adult sons and have three grandchildren that I thoroughly enjoy spending time with. I have an educational background in the study of philosophy, spirituality and counseling psychology. I have experience with helping people with histories of trauma, severe mental illness, as well as, symptoms of anxiety and depression. I also have experience and some expertise with clients struggling with substance use.

Some seasons of life ask more of you than you ever expected, and somewhere along the way you stopped feeling like yourself. I work with teens, parents, and adults who are moving through anxiety, depression, grief, relationship strain, and the heavy stretches that come with big life transitions. I care deeply about supporting LGBTQIA+ and transgender clients, and families who want to understand and show up for one another a little better. So much of this work is simply remembering that you do not have to carry any of it alone.

Emphasis on SELF~LOVE simply loving yourself unconditionally 1st, 2nd, and 3rd allows for a greater capacity to attract MANIFEST and receive the greatest REMEDY “LEARNING TO LOVE ONE’S SELF”

YOU MUST LOVE YOURSELF more patiently COMPASSIONATELY graciously SINCERELY and honestly with FORGIVENESS

Determined COMMITMENT to being ABSOLUTELY HONESTY with OURSELVES & ULTIMATELY SURRENDERING TO OUR HEART’S PURPOSE WILL IGNITE the GREATEST and most PHENOMENAL expression “THE PERFECTING OF SELF LOVE”