Hi, I'm Sara Smith
I'm So Glad You're Here!
I can’t see your face, but I am glad that you are here! Sometime in the past, I sat at my kitchen table thinking about what I wanted to say to you when you landed on my page. Something that would help you feel seen and give you hope that whatever struggle brings you to this place, transformational change is possible. I specialize in IFS Therapy Intensives that help women and couples in Minnesota who are struggling with relationship issues, religious trauma and life transitions to stop feeling unhappy and disconnected and find themselves and their partners again. I think finding a good
therapist can be a little like finding a good hairstylist or car mechanic. It can be difficult to find someone you can trust. (This is a picture of me from the late 80’s, so the need to find a good hairstylist
is not lost on me!)
So, I invite you to spend a little time getting to know me and what my therapy practice is all about on the pages of this website. And if after that, you feel safe ENOUGH, hopeful ENOUGH, curious ENOUGH, I hope you will email me with a question or two and give me a chance to get to know you too. As I write this, I’m already getting excited about who you might be and where we might journey together!
Does This Describe Your Experience?
I want more (joy, peace, calm, contentment, confidence) in my life.
I'm unhappy in my (job, marriage, relationships, life).
I often feel too much or not enough.
I
Feel
Stuck!
I want less (stress, conflict, doubt, fear,
pain) in my life.
I’ve tried (a book, a video, a technique, therapy) but still haven’t seen the change I want
My partner and I just can't communicate.
I feel like I've
lost myself.
If this does describe you, then I am so happy that you've landed on my page, because I truly believe that you’re in the right place and that I can help!
What's The Deal With The
Let me share my vision with you!
I love my glasses! They are fun, help me express myself and help my clients appear like something other than a fuzzy blob on my screen! When it comes time to read, work at my computer or use my phone, I am very grateful for my glasses. But nothing has really changed with my eyes. If I take my glasses off, lose them or forget to bring them with me somewhere, I’m still going to struggle to see clearly. I have a tool, but not real change.
Now, if I had a Lasik procedure or some other corrective eye surgery, I would be actually changing or transforming the shape of my eye so that I could see better permanently without my glasses. My vision would be transformed even without the use of my glasses.
My practice is the Lasik of therapy. I don’t offer a tool or a strategy to help you feel better only when you're using the tool. I work with my clients to bring forth actual transformational change that helps you see and show up differently in your life and relationships.
I'l l take the transformational change without all the mess and expense of surgery, please!
I get it! Transformation sounds hard!
So, let’s take a look at what this actually involves.
In my experience, there are four key elements that, when combined, can lead to transformational change through therapy:
The process, the content, the therapist, and…..the last one is a surprise!
THE PROCESS
I believe that HOW we do therapy is as important as what we do DURING therapy. 50 minute sessions are NOT the standard because they are best practice. 50 minute sessions are the standard because that is all most insurance companies are willing to pay for. As a person actually trained to provide the therapy and not just pay for it, I can tell you that oftentimes the best, most transformative work begins at about the 40 minute mark (wah, wah, wah!).
This is why I am totally committed to doing therapy intensives. Therapy intensives are multiple, longer therapy sessions done in a concentrated span of time that help people achieve deeper, more transformative results in less time. Listen to this brief video to hear me give a description of intensives.
THE CONTENT
Once you have space to actually do some deeper work, having a good way to bring forth that transformation is key. I have been trained in many different modalities of doing therapy, but nothing has resonated deep in my core the way Internal Family Systems (IFS) has. For a “non-therapisty” explanation of IFS, watch this short video:
THE THERAPIST
That’s me! Here is a little about my background as a therapist. I have been a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist for almost a decade. I have worked in home-based, office and now virtual environments and worked for agencies, group practices and now private practice. I have a background in Discernment Counseling, EMDR, Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT), and my favorite, Internal Family Systems (IFS). I am an LGBTQIA+ affirming therapist and I love helping my clients work through the messiness of life and relationships. To hear a little bit about what its like to work with me, watch this:
AND (DRUMROLLLL) YOU!
You, showing up as just you. You, bringing all your strengths and skills and insights and wisdom, as well as all your struggles and weaknesses and fears and vulnerabilities. When you are willing to be vulnerable and enter into deeper work, you bring the final element that can bring about that lasting change.
I love working with a variety of clients, but I have a special fondness for working with couples/relationship issues, women and those who have experienced religious trauma. What I have found is that with enough time and space, a process to help clients understand their inner world, a therapist who is compassionate and attuned to their clients and a client willing to be vulnerable, transformation can happen! I can provide the first three, the last one is up to you! (Glasses not required)
If you have more questions or want to join me by adding that fourth element, click here.
I'd Love to Join You on Your Journey Towards Lasting Change
