Sarah Carlson LPC-S, RPT-S

I’m a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor and Registered Play Therapist Supervisor with a PhD in Counseling and nearly 20 years of experience working with children, adolescents, adults, and families. My work is grounded in a humanistic, developmental, and systemic perspective. I believe behavior is communication, and that understanding what is underneath the behavior can often change the way we respond to it. With children, therapy may look different than you expect. Play, creativity, movement, and connection can give children ways to communicate and work through experiences that are difficult to put into words. With adolescents and adults, I use a collaborative approach that considers both the person and the systems and relationships around them. Whether we are working through big emotions, neurodivergence, trauma, grief, parenting challenges, or family relationships, my goal is to create a warm, supportive space where you can slow down, make sense of what is happening.

I believe therapy works best when it feels human. We all bring our own stories, relationships, strengths, struggles, and ways of making sense of the world into the room. I value curiosity over judgment and connection over perfection. I’m especially passionate about helping families navigate what I think of as “parenting in a loud world”—a world full of expectations, information, schedules, and an often invisible load that parents are carrying. Sometimes what looks like defiance, avoidance, or “bad behavior” is actually a child communicating that something is too hard, too much, or not yet understood. I love helping parents and children become curious about those moments rather than getting stuck in them. I also have a particular interest in ADHD, neurodivergence, twice-exceptionality, and helping people understand themselves with more compassion. Therapy doesn't have to be perfect to be helpful. Sometimes it just needs to be a place where you can exhale and feel understood.