About Sara
Sara Barrientos is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, grief, self-esteem struggles, and parenting concerns. She also supports people dealing with trauma and abuse, intimacy-related issues, sleeping problems, anger, bipolar disorder, and life changes. Sara practices from Illinois and communicates in English.
Sara uses straightforward, goal-oriented methods in sessions. She focuses on helping clients identify small, practical steps they can take between meetings. She encourages people to clarify what matters to them, test new ways of coping, and notice what works in daily life.
How Sara works
Her background includes 13 years of professional experience in social work. For about a decade she worked in an intensive outpatient group program serving older adults with depression and anxiety. Earlier roles exposed her to youth services and behavioral health settings, and she has supported individuals with relationship and loss-related concerns.
In meetings she aims to be compassionate and down-to-earth. She offers encouragement and accountability while helping clients shape their own goals. Sessions are paced to the person, with space to talk through feelings and try practical strategies that fit everyday life.
Sara blends approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with existential and solution-focused ideas. That mix is used to help people name values, shift unhelpful thinking, and focus on next steps. Her work tends to be collaborative and action-oriented, with attention to the client’s priorities and life context.
Sara lists 4 ways of working on the entry:
What Sara works with
The areas below are the ones Sara selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
Also listed
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Bipolar disorder
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Communication problems
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Family conflicts
- Forgiveness
- Intimacy-related issues
- Life purpose
- Money and financial issues
- Parenting issues
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Relationship issues
- Sleeping disorders
- Trauma and abuse
Training and background
| Register | LCSW |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 13 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | Illinois |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
How these approaches shape online care
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, helps people identify what matters most to them and take small actions toward those values even when difficult thoughts or feelings appear. It is useful for anxiety, depression, grief, and life transitions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, focuses on spotting unhelpful thought patterns and testing new behaviors to reduce distress and improve daily functioning. It is often used for anxiety, mood concerns, sleep problems, and anger management.Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will work with each person to match methods to their goals, preferences, and what shows progress in sessions. That may mean combining ACT, CBT, existential ideas, or solution-focused steps to create a plan that fits the person's life.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, which offer flexibility for different situations. Video lets people read facial cues and use screen-shared materials. Phone sessions can work when bandwidth is limited or a shorter check-in is needed. Live chat or text messaging can help keep momentum between sessions or fit shorter breaks in a busy day. These options make it easier to schedule consistent work on stress, relationships, sleep, and other concerns without long travel times.
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Common questions
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A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
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