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BACKGROUND & TRAINING
I gained a BA in English Adolescent Education from SUNY Geneseo, as well as a MS in Literacy Studies at SUNY New Paltz. Using these two degrees, I worked as a middle school ELA and Literacy teacher for several years.
As a teacher, I gained valuable insight into the public school system, as well as the lived experience of students with learning difficulties, conduct issues, mental health issues, and peer relationship struggles. I also gained experience writing IEPs, and have sat in on many IEP meetings. I enjoy using my knowledge of the public school system to support both teens and their parents in gaining the support they need in order to achieve their full potential.
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After seeing the ever-growing need for social-emotional support amongst my students, I chose to pursue a M.Ed. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, which I obtained from Lindsey Wilson College.
Sarah Ryan
MHC-LP
(she/her)
therapist
SPECIALIZATIONS
I provide individual counseling to clients aged 13+. I enjoy working with clients of all ages, backgrounds, and identities to better understand themselves, and how they can most effectively navigate the systems in which they exist.
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As a former teacher, I have gained a strong understanding of neurodivergence (ADHD, Autism ,etc.) and I love to support my clients of all ages to better understand how their brain works.
THERAPEUTIC STYLE
My approach to counseling is collaborative, and I encourage my clients to bring their goals, reservations, fears, and hopes to our sessions to make their experience as personalized as possible. I want each of my clients to leave our sessions with a sense of optimism and confidence that will allow them to continue their wellness journey independently.
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I tend to primarily draw from therapeutic modalities such as psychodynamic and attachment-based therapy in order to support my clients in better understanding how their past experiences and relationships may be informing their present thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Additionally, I believe that certain counseling theories and techniques such as: person-centered, feminist, multicultural, and trauma-informed, are “baked in” to my work, as I view these as vital aspects of therapy.
COMMON ISSUES I HELP WITH
I have experience supporting clients through navigating issues such as: ADHD, anxiety, depression, grief, education and learning disabilities, peer relationships, life transitions, relationship issues, self-esteem, trauma and PTSD, women's issues, gender/sexual identity affirmation, stress, work-life balance, and self-discovery.
PHILOSOPHY
RELATED HOBBIES & INTERESTS
As a native to the Hudson Valley, I feel most at-home and at-peace when I am out amongst the beautiful mountains, trails, creeks, and riverbanks that I grew up exploring. I also love to tap into my creativity by writing poems and making music.
I believe that wellness and self-discovery is a lifelong journey, and that counseling can be a very supportive force in that journey when both a therapist and client dare to show up fully.
I deeply value the humanness of the folks that I work with, and I seek to honor the full spectrum of human emotions and experiences throughout the therapeutic process. I love bringing humor into my work when it’s appropriate, and I strive to create a a space in which my clients feel safe to unpack the layers of emotions relating to the greater systems they exist within.
Additionally, I strive to create a therapeutic space where all clients, regardless of their age, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, spirituality, or abilities feel safe and accepted. As a counselor and as a human, I am committed to continuing to educate myself on topics relating to cultural competency, and to continue to self-reflect in order to continue to understand how my privilege and identities interplay with the systems and the individuals I interact with.