My Practice
Using a Family Systems model, I take into consideration the broader social system, culture, environment, and the needs of individuals and families.
The most meaningful part of my work as a therapist is joining people on their life journeys. Therapy can be a useful way to support change, restore balance, and navigate difficult challenges.
I am a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (MFC 48522) and work with adolescents, individuals, couples, and families.
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Every individual belongs to, and is shaped by, larger systems. There are many ways to be a family and many ways to belong to a community. Therapy creates space to explore what works, what doesn’t, and how to move forward with intention.
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My work is informed by my lived experience as a member of a large blended, multicultural family. I am a wife, a daughter to wonderful aging parents, a sister to 5 siblings, a doting auntie, and a proud mother of two amazing teen boys.
I am grateful for and committed to my community, sitting on the boards of some meaningful organizations, and maintaining my role as the the founding director of a multicultural summer camp for youth and families, focused on global identity development and leadership. These experiences continue to shape how I understand identity and resilience across cultures and generations.
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I work with individuals, couples, and families, approaching each client and system from a strength-based perspective. Challenges are often held in balance with existing capacities and resources.
Clients often seek my support around life transitions, relationship changes, identity development, parenting, grief and loss, anxiety, trauma, and family reorganization. My role is to provide a safe, thoughtful space where clients can explore and develop tools to take ownership of their lives.
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Earlier in my career, I spent many years developing and directing adolescent programs in San Francisco, focusing on identity development, leadership, and cross-cultural dialogue for youth ages 11–18. This work shaped my ongoing commitment to adolescents and their families.
Adolescence is an intense and formative period for young people and for the families who support them. I help adolescents and families develop healthier communication, navigate conflict, and explore new ways of relating during times of growth and change.
Given my experience, knowledge and relationships with many Bay Area youth and adolescent serving institutions, I am skilled at assessing a students talents and challenges, and helping to place a student in an educational institution that will support and compliment the student and their family system.
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I believe that individual well-being is deeply connected to the health of primary relationships. Every family system carries its own cultural influences and narratives.
My work with couples and families focuses on understanding these dynamics, strengthening communication, clarifying roles and boundaries, and developing practical tools to build intuitive connection, and create desired change.
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I have spent more than 25 years working with multi-generational family systems, helping families understand how patterns of communication, roles, and emotional dynamics move across generations. My work focuses on strengthening clarity, boundaries, and collaboration within complex family relationships. In high-net-worth families, where relatives often share both emotional ties and professional responsibilities through the management of shared assets, these dynamics become especially consequential. Systems work helps families navigate the overlap of personal and financial decision-making, reduce conflict, and build communication structures that support both healthy relationships and effective stewardship across generations.
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In addition to clinical work, I consult with organizations and educational settings. I approach the organization itself as the client, supporting individuals in ways that strengthen the health of the larger system.
This work often includes identity development, group dynamics, communication, conflict resolution, and social-emotional learning, helping organizations align their goals with the well-being of the people within them.
A few common questions I’m frequently asked.
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Some clients come weekly; others meet more or less often depending on their needs. Sessions are generally 60 minutes.
Ninety-minute sessions may be arranged when appropriate.
Virtual consultations by video call are also available.
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This depends on the nature of the challenge, your commitment to change, and your own ideas about therapy. When focused on a specific issue, therapy may be shorter-term. Typically, within three sessions you will have a sense of whether working with me feels effective.
Weekly sessions can be helpful for more deeply rooted issues. Open-ended work allows space for the process to unfold in its own time. I do not use a single formula for every client; instead, we work together to determine what feels most appropriate for you.
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Yes. You may choose when your therapy is completed. Therapy can bring up painful memories and emotions, which I may encourage you to explore. While therapy does require commitment and a willingness to engage in the process, the decision to end therapy is always yours, and I will support you in that choice.
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One benefit of working with a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist is that many insurance providers offer reimbursement for psychotherapy services through out-of-network benefits. While reimbursement cannot be guaranteed, my practice uses Ivy Pay, a secure payment platform designed specifically for healthcare providers.
Once your Ivy Pay account is set up, you will automatically receive a receipt after each session that includes the information typically required to submit claims to your insurance provider for possible reimbursement.
Testimonials
Sarah has supported our multicultural family for over a decade. In the truest sense, she is a wise woman, and we have relied on her guidance and care through both the demands of everyday life and the significant challenges our family has faced.
For us, therapy is not only about addressing acute concerns—it’s about strengthening the foundation of our relationship and supporting our work as parents to school-age children. Sarah has become a trusted advisor across many aspects of our lives, from deepening my partnership with my husband to navigating career decisions and the inherent zaniness of parenting in the Bay Area.
With Sarah’s help, we have gained a deeper understanding of ourselves—our individual histories, family dynamics, and personal dispositions—and, in turn, how to relate to one another more fully as partners.
Her unique ability to navigate and work within family systems has allowed us to explore who we are, where we come from, and what we bring into our relationship. It is truly fascinating and meaningful work.
Therapist, life coach, parenting coach—no single title fully captures all that Sarah has been to our family. She understands people and relational dynamics better than anyone I have ever met. I feel complete confidence sharing our deepest fears and worries, knowing she can hold them with care while guiding us through them.I am certain that my family is in the healthy, happy place we are today because of our work with Sarah.”
Our family started working with Sarah to explore the relationships between two parents and three young adults. We were stuck in certain relational patterns from our kids’ childhood that seemed to be impeding our ability to relate to each other as mature adults. Rather than letting this fester, we wanted to address it directly and reset each of our dynamics so that we could have a sort of relational restart among five consenting adults. Sarah has been masterful in helping us navigate the vicissitudes of our historical dynamics to improve the way we treat each other and recognize our differences. It’s only been one year, but it’s already been transformational.”
Father, 57 in SF
Appointments
Scheduling begins with an initial inquiry. This allows me to understand what you’re looking for and determine whether my practice is the right fit for your needs.
When you click below, you’ll be taken to a brief form to complete and submit. The form includes basic contact information and a few short questions to help me understand what you’re hoping to work on. Once I’ve reviewed your submission, I’ll follow up to discuss next steps and scheduling.