A professional who speaks your language.
Therapy and coaching for adults and teens with ADHD and other forms of neurodivergence.
About Sara
As a relational, attachment-based therapist, I believe that the therapeutic relationship is a powerful vehicle for change. As a systemic therapist, I also believe that the systems you’re part of matter, and that your experience can’t be understood outside of those systems.
You may have had the experience of “getting” something on a logical level, yet finding that knowledge to be inadequate or insufficient. I believe real change has to be felt, not just rationalized. So I focus on creating a relationship where it’s safe to take relational risks and have new experiences that create change on a deeper level.
Within the relationship, the work can take many forms. We may start by looking into your past, as I believe the past is important in understanding the present, and that it’s useful for helping you understand your attachment style and relational patterns. And if you’re one of the many neurodivergent people who have experienced trauma, we can draw on Internal Family Systems/parts work and Emotion-Focused Therapy to help heal your younger self.
My goal is to always meet you where you are, and sometimes that might mean taking a more practical, skills-based approach. This could mean developing strategies to manage ADHD overwhelm, big emotions, and struggles with organization, time-blindness and prioritization. For example, you may be feeling like you know what you need to do yet still can’t get it done. Here I also draw on my background as an ADHD coach, and use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Internal Family System to help you understand the emotions that may be getting in your way, see the different parts that create internal conflicts for you, and change how you relate to these parts.
I also have ADHD and so I know from my own experience what it’s like to be successful on paper yet also feel constantly overwhelmed and burned out, and to feel like everything seems harder for you. I have a different background from many therapists, as I attended Yale Law School and worked as an attorney and as a start-up executive before returning to school to become a therapist. So I also know what it’s like to be neurodivergent in a high-pressure environment.
As a therapist, I show up as warm, empathetic, patient and curious. I want you to feel seen, understood and supported. I don’t believe that a therapist can be a blank slate, so I try to show up authentically and bring my own compassion, insight, humility and humor to our sessions.
Therapy
Therapy should feel human. At its core, it’s two people, having a conversation. That conversation should feel meaningful, different from most conversations you have in daily life. It should make you feel. It should make you think about your life, about who you want to be, and how you became who you are. It should help you see patterns and the assumptions you make, realize things you didn’t know you were taking for granted, and begin seeing new possibilities.
I remember reading a popular book that described therapy as uncomfortable, as if the therapist’s job was to create discomfort. I think it’s more complicated. If you’re coming to therapy, you’re hoping for change. And change is already uncomfortable. Hopefully therapy is a soft place to land as you experiment with change, because to experiment you have to first feel safe. Therapy is a place to go at your own pace, not to be pushed before you are ready. A place to contain the discomfort, and be in it with someone else instead of grappling with it on your own.
As your therapist, my job is to guide our conversation and create that safe space for you to explore in. My expertise is in the process of therapy, not in telling you what to do, or think, or feel. You’re the expert on yourself, and I strive to honor your experience.
I don’t start from a place of quick-fixes and I don’t think homework is necessary. If I’m doing my job right, you’re already thinking about our conversations outside of our sessions, and that’s the real homework. I’m happy to share resources, and I can help you learn different grounding strategies. If you want more concrete work between sessions, I can help you decide what to work on. But I also know you’re coming in with years of attempts at different coping methods, and that if it was as easy as following some tips from an article or self-help book or online course, then you likely wouldn’t need to be here.
Coaching
Coaching that focuses on helping dynamic professionals with ADHD leverage their unique strengths and navigate the specific challenges of having ADHD in complex workplaces.
I help clients:
Manage teams successfully
Identify priorities
Avoid burnout
Navigate tricky interpersonal situations
Optimize communication styles
Design processes that work
Explore career changes and chart paths for career development
Answer the questions that come with a late ADHD diagnosis
As a coach, I'll partner with you on present-day challenges and guide you in developing a personalized strategy to achieve your goals. Get support, accountability and guidance as you navigate the challenges of having ADHD in a rapidly changing, high-intensity workplace.
In my practice, I focus on helping you identify your top strengths -- the things that feel energizing to you --and creating solutions that draw on these strengths.
Except for our first session, you’ll likely do more of the talking. If you ask me for advice I’ll be happy to share, but chances are I’ll ask you what you think first. I’m a sounding board who can help you see things in new ways and spark new insights, but I believe that you’re always best positioned to solve your problems. I’m here to facilitate.
As your ADHD coach, I'll also be there to help you learn more about your ADHD and the ways it may be impacting you. This can involve information sharing, helping you process what you learn, and finding new resources for you.