Sara Sutherland , LMSW

Sara Sutherland is a licensed master social worker who helps people facing stress, anxiety, grief, depression, and big life changes. She works with concerns like compassion fatigue, addiction, intimacy and relationship struggles, parenting strain, and issues related to identity and self‑esteem. Sara aims to make people feel seen and heard from the first meeting.

Her style is warm and straightforward. She listens first, then helps people set clear, realistic goals. Sessions focus on practical steps and skills that can be used between meetings. She emphasizes genuine support and honest feedback rather than jargon or long lectures.

Sara trained in social work at Hope College for undergraduate study and earned a master of social work at Western Michigan University. She has about eight years of clinical experience across private practice, health care settings, and hospice care. That range has given her exposure to chronic and terminal illness, grief, and complex medical situations.

In sessions she blends client-centered work with techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy. Mindfulness and emotionally-focused ideas are also part of her toolbox. She adapts these methods to fit each person’s needs and goals rather than following a one-size-fits-all plan.

People who come to Sara can expect a collaborative approach that balances empathy with practical change. She supports exploration of feelings and helps build skills for coping, communication, and self-care. Her Michigan practice focuses on helping adults navigate difficult transitions and heal from loss.

How her approaches translate to online therapy

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on understanding each person’s perspective and offering empathy and acceptance. Online sessions use this approach to build rapport and let individuals set the pace and goals for their work.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, breaks problems into thoughts, feelings, and actions and teaches concrete tools to change patterns. This works well online for anxiety, depression, and coping with life changes because homework and skill practice can be assigned between sessions.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy, DBT, emphasizes emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and better interpersonal skills. In remote sessions it can help people learn step-by-step skills for managing intense feelings and repairing relationships.

Finding the right approach is part of the process. The therapist will work collaboratively to match methods to a person’s goals, strengths, and preferences rather than insisting on a single model. That means plans can shift as needs change.

Online formats offer flexibility for people with busy schedules or limited travel options. Video calls allow face-to-face interaction, phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited, live chat can be used for shorter check-ins, and text-based messaging supports ongoing connection and brief touchpoints between sessions.