Therapist profile
Sara Contreras, LMFT
LMFT - Family and parenting related concerns
Continue with SaraAbout
- Attachment-based work
- CBT techniques
- EMDR for trauma
About Sara
Sara Contreras is a California licensed marriage and family therapist, LMFT, with five years of professional experience. She focuses on common household pressures like stress, anxiety, parenting strain, relationship friction, grief, and life transitions. Her work also covers trauma and abuse, ADHD, sleep problems, and issues around intimacy and self‑esteem.
Sara uses straightforward conversation to help people name what is hardest for them. Sessions are client-centered and focused on practical steps people can try between meetings. She pays attention to attachment patterns and how early relationships affect current conflicts and closeness.
EMDR is included in her approach for people processing past trauma and painful memories. Cognitive behavioral techniques are used to surface unhelpful thinking and test different behaviors. Existential ideas come in when people want to look at meaning, values, and big life choices.
Her work is aimed at clear, manageable change rather than long lists of techniques. People often come for help with blended family issues, caregiving stress, body image, or complex relationship patterns. Sara also addresses less common concerns such as kink and alternative sex culture discussions and abandonment or dependency struggles.
Sessions are scheduled around weekday evenings and some mornings by appointment. To begin, a short questionnaire is completed and a first session is scheduled so goals can be clarified and next steps agreed on.
How sessions work
How her approaches are used in online sessions
Attachment‑based work looks at how early bonds shape current relationships and closeness. It helps people who notice repeating patterns with partners, parents, or caregiving roles to recognize triggers and try new ways of relating. Client‑centered therapy focuses on the person's perspective and priorities. The therapist listens, reflects, and follows the person's lead to clarify goals and next steps. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) targets specific thoughts and behaviors. It involves identifying unhelpful thinking, testing beliefs, and trying small behavior changes between sessions to see what helps.Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with the client to choose what fits best for their needs, goals, and preferences. That choice can change over time as progress is reviewed and new concerns come up.
The profile does not specify which online session formats are offered, so confirm current options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit meetings into busy days, allow for shorter check‑ins when needed, and remove travel time. Some approaches translate well to a remote setting: CBT worksheets, attachment conversations, and EMDR adaptations can be used in sessions when appropriate. Talk with the therapist during your first meeting about the practical setup that will work best for you.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
5+ years
Listed in
California
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What issues does she help with at home?
Sara works with stress, anxiety, depression, parenting strain, relationship and family concerns, grief, trauma and many related issues listed on her profile.
What is her therapeutic style like?
She blends client-centered conversation with attachment-informed insights and practical CBT tools. EMDR is offered for those processing trauma.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has five years of professional experience as a clinician.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She is a California LMFT and practices from California.
Does she work in other languages or with international clients?
Sessions are offered in English. She is not accepting international clients.
What session formats are used?
The biography does not list specific session formats. Confirm current session options before booking.
How are sessions paid for and what do they cost?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I get started with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If anyone is in danger, use the crisis numbers.