Sara Van Slyke, LMHC

Sara Van Slyke is a licensed mental health counselor with 13 years of experience. She works with people facing stress, anxiety, depression, addiction concerns, and challenges with self-esteem and motivation. Sara believes most people carry strengths that help them move forward, and she encourages small first steps toward change.

She uses a client-centered stance that treats the person, not the label. That means listening first and shaping sessions around each person's goals. Sara also draws on cognitive behavioral techniques to help identify and change unhelpful thinking patterns.

Sara brings dialectical behavior therapy tools for managing intense emotions and improving coping skills. She uses mindfulness exercises to help people stay grounded and notice what matters in the moment. Existential ideas inform conversations about meaning, choice, and life transitions.

In sessions she focuses on clear, practical steps. People can expect to talk through current problems, learn new skills, and set reachable goals. She encourages homework between sessions so progress continues outside the room.

Sara is licensed as an LMHC in Washington and Florida. Sessions are offered in English. To begin, clients follow the site Start Therapy flow and schedule according to availability.

Therapeutic approaches and how they translate online

Sara uses client-centered work to ground sessions in each person's priorities. That means she will listen closely, ask about what matters most, and shape conversations around a client's goals and values. This approach helps when people need a collaborative, respectful place to sort things out.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on the links between thoughts, feelings, and behavior. Online sessions can include learning to spot unhelpful thoughts, trying new behaviors between meetings, and reviewing what worked. DBT offers concrete skills for emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and improving relationships, which can be practiced and reviewed during remote meetings.

Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. Sara treats approach selection as a collaboration - she will talk with each person about goals, try techniques, and adjust methods when something does not fit. That helps keep therapy practical and relevant.

If you plan to meet online, confirm the current session options before booking. The therapist's profile does not list specific formats here, so checking available formats will clarify whether video, phone, or other remote options are offered. Online meetings can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy day, allow for shorter check-ins when needed, and reduce travel time while keeping a consistent schedule.