Sara Contreras, LMFT - Therapist in California

Attachment-informed care
Trauma-focused options
Evening and morning times

About Sara

Sara Contreras is a California-based licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) with five years of clinical experience. She focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety, trauma, depression, and major life changes. Her style aims to make starting therapy feel manageable and straightforward for someone who is nervous or unsure.

She creates an open, nonjudgmental space where clients can speak about difficult thoughts and emotions. Sessions tend to be practical and focused on what matters most to each person. Sara uses approaches that look at relationships, present-day thinking patterns, and body-based memories to guide work in sessions.

Sara often combines attachment-based ideas with cognitive behavioral techniques to help people change unhelpful patterns and improve relationships. She also uses client-centered methods to keep sessions grounded in each person’s goals. For trauma-related concerns she integrates EMDR when appropriate to address memories that keep causing distress.

Her practice covers a wide range of concerns including grief, parenting strain, intimacy-related issues, ADHD, bipolar symptoms, sleep problems, and compassion fatigue. She also supports people navigating complex identity and relationship topics like LGBT issues, alternative sexual cultures, and blended family dynamics.

Appointments are typically scheduled in evening or morning times and can be coordinated to fit individual needs. To begin, visitors use the site’s Start Therapy button to complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule according to Sara’s availability.

Therapeutic approaches and what online work can offer

Attachment-based work focuses on how early and current relationships shape feelings and behavior. It helps people understand why certain relationships feel safe or triggering and supports new ways of relating. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at the connection between thoughts, feelings, and actions and teaches practical tools to change unhelpful patterns. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, EMDR, is used to address distressing memories that continue to affect daily life and can reduce the intensity of those memories when integrated into a treatment plan.

Finding the right approach is part of the process. The therapist will talk with each client about their goals, needs, and preferences and together decide which methods to try. This collaborative way of working means approaches can be adjusted as progress is made or priorities change.

Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life by offering flexible scheduling like evening or morning times. It also reduces travel time and can simplify check-ins between appointments. Confirm current session options before booking so you know what format will be used, and the therapist will coordinate scheduling to match your needs.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Stress, Anxiety Trauma and abuse Depression Coping with life changesADHD

Also works with

LGBTRelationship issuesFamily conflictsGriefIntimacy-related issuesSleeping disordersParenting issuesAnger managementSelf esteemCareer difficultiesBipolar disorderCompassion fatigue

Additional focus areas

AbandonmentAttachment issuesBDSM, kink, and alternative sex cultureBlended family issuesBody imageCaregiver issues and stress Chronic pain, illness, and disabilityCodependencyCommitment issuesCommunication problemsControl issuesCoping with natural or human-caused disasterDependent personalityDisruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)DissociationDivorce and separationDomestic violenceEmptinessFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsFatherhood issuesFirst responder issuesForgivenessGuilt and shameImpulsivityInfidelityIsolation / lonelinessJealousyLife purposeMen's issuesMidlife crisisMoney and financial issues Mood disordersMulticultural concernsNarcissismObsessions, compulsions, and OCDPanic disorder and panic attacksPhobiasPolyamory / non-monogamous relationshipsPostpartum depressionPost-traumatic stressPregnancy and childbirthPrejudice and discriminationSeasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-harmSelf-loveSexual assault and abuseSexual dysfunctionSexualitySocial anxiety and phobiaSomatizationWomen's issuesWorkplace issues

Therapeutic approaches

Attachment-Based TherapyClient-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Existential TherapyEye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)Mindfulness TherapyMotivational InterviewingNarrative TherapyPsychodynamic TherapySolution-Focused TherapySomatic TherapyTrauma-Focused Therapy

Experience

5+ years

Credentials

California

Languages

English

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of concerns does Sara address?

Sara helps people facing stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, depression, coping with life changes, and many relationship and intimacy-related issues.

What is her approach in sessions?

She blends attachment-based work, client-centered conversation, and cognitive behavioral techniques to focus on patterns, feelings, and practical change.

How much clinical experience does she have?

Sara has five years of professional work experience as a licensed marriage and family therapist.

Where is she licensed and based?

She is licensed in California as an LMFT and practices with clients from that state.

Which languages are supported in sessions?

Sessions are offered in English.

Are international clients accepted?

She is not currently accepting clients from other countries.

How do fees and session payment work?

Costs vary with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.

How do I start working with her?

Click the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule a session according to her availability.