Sara Todd

Sara Todd (she/they)

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

LCSW

I have over 15 years of experience supporting adults and teens in their journeys to find healing and greater wholeness.

Client Status

waitlist

Contact

920-215-1254

At a Glance

Me

Rate: $100-$180

Provides free initial consultation

Practicing Since: 2013

Services

  • Individual
  • Teen

Insurances Accepted

  • Out of Pocket
  • Out of Network

My Ideal Client

Your heart is holding so much sadness. A heaviness in your chest. Your throat clenches up. When will the grief end? You ask, ‘how do I move on from this loss?’ You can’t stop thinking about what you should have done differently. You keep replaying the past. The thoughts won’t stop. The grief hits like a tidal wave. You just feel so sad. Your heart hurts. Maybe you’ve experienced the illness or death of a loved one or you’re struggling with chronic illness or pain. You’ve had major life changes.

My Approach to Helping

My name is Sara Todd and I am a skilled and intuitive therapist with ten years experience supporting teens and adults work through grief, depression, trauma, and major life transitions. Grieving is a normal, necessary process that carries the depth of our love for other living beings or experiences. Our work together can help you find a way to move through this grief and continue to live your life. We will help you keep the memories alive, gain wisdom from the past, and still experience joy. We will honor your grieving process to discover what’s new and reconnect to your sense of wholeness and well-being. My style is warm, affirming, and collaborative. I provide depth therapy that’s trauma-focused and body-centered. I radically welcome and affirm all the beautiful and unique ways you identify and express yourself. Please reach out to me for an initial complimentary consultation.

My Personal Beliefs and Interests

I believe that the work of personal healing and transformation is the work of creating a more enlightened society. I’ve been practicing meditation since 2002 when I was drawn to Buddhist teachings on kindness and compassion. My work as a therapist is inextricably connected to my Buddhist vow to not contribute to more suffering and to do what I can to alleviate others’ suffering. I come to this work with the lived experienced of recovery from depression and chronic illness. I deeply understand the power of therapy because I’ve experienced it firsthand.

Techniques I Use

Specialties

  • Psychoanalytic  External link

    After graduate school, I completed two years of advanced clinical training in psychoanalytic psychotherapy with the Chicago Center for Psychoanalysis in 2015. Prior to that, I participated in the fellowship program with the Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute (2010-2011) and the fellowship program with the Chicago Center for Psychoanalysis (2011-2013).

  • Psychodynamic  External link

    After graduate school, I completed two years of advanced clinical training in psychoanalytic psychotherapy with the Chicago Center for Psychoanalysis in 2015. Prior to that, I participated in the fellowship program with the Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute (2010-2011) and the fellowship program with the Chicago Center for Psychoanalysis (2011-2013).

  • Mindfulness-based External link

    I am a Buddhist and practice within both Tibetan and Zen traditions and have had a meditation practice for the last twenty years. I integrate mindfulness practices into my work with clients. This may include: noticing and attuning to physical sensations; slowing down and pausing during session in order to build tolerance for discomfort; self-compassion practices; noticing the role of the “inner critic” in your life; and recognizing and challenging unhelpful thought patterns.

Issues I Treat

Specialties

  • Depression External link

    Depression has underlying, unconscious reasons for its existence. Together, we will figure out the root causes and bring about your innate capacity to heal. I have over fifteen years of experience working with folks who have struggled with depression. Oftentimes, depression is about unresolved grieving and anger turned towards the self. Therapy provides a path to properly mourn what's been lost and release anger that's been held in for too long.

  • Loss or Grief External link

    In our work together, your grieving will be accepted and seen for the normal, healing process that it is. Grieving is a normal, necessary process that makes us human. We grieve because we’re attached. We love. We grieve. It measures the depth and intensity of our attachment and love for people, places, experiences, and other living beings.

  • LGBTQ Issues External link

    Prior to working in mental health, I spent many years within LGBTQ rights movements. I care deeply about the impact of social injustice, homophobia, and transphobia on your mental health. I identify as queer and agender. I radically welcome and affirm all the beautiful and diverse ways you may identify and express yourself.

  • Spirituality External link

    Sometimes, the meditation cushion isn’t enough. Your meditation practice has benefited your life in profound ways, yet you’re needing more to address psychological wounds. I’ve been practicing meditation since 2002 when I was drawn to Buddhist teachings on kindness and compassion. I now identify as Buddhist and currently practice within both Tibetan and Zen traditions. I believe that the work of personal healing and transformation is the work of creating a more enlightened society.

  • Chronic Pain or Illness External link

    My treatment approach pays close attention to the body. Trauma shows up in the body– how we move and feel, illness, and physical symptoms. This may show up as fatigue or chronic pain. My approach will emphasize physical sensations, feelings, and emotions with the goal of processing trauma that’s stored in the body. The body has its own language and this is also driven by what’s unconscious.

Contact Sara

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