About Sara
Sara Barrientos is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with 13 years of clinical experience based in Illinois.
Background and approach
She focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety, grief, low self-esteem, depression, and life transitions, and she also addresses relationship and family concerns, trauma and abuse, intimacy-related issues, sleep difficulties, parenting challenges, anger, and bipolar-related concerns.
Additional areas of attention include aging and geriatric issues, caregiver stress, communication problems, forgiveness work, life purpose, financial worries, and pregnancy and childbirth. Sara blends evidence-informed therapies such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with existential and solution-focused approaches to tailor care to each person’s needs.
She aims to create an encouraging, compassionate environment where clients set goals and develop practical strategies, while receiving the accountability and motivation needed to progress. Her background includes extensive work in outpatient group programs for older adults dealing with mood and anxiety symptoms, along with experience across behavioral health settings and community social work.
Clients who work with Sara can expect a collaborative, respectful partnership that emphasizes strengths, values, and realistic problem-solving. She conducts sessions in English and practices within Illinois as an LCSW (IL LCSW 149.018318).
Approaches That Translate Well to Online Therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is focused on helping people clarify their values and take committed action toward meaningful goals while learning to accept difficult thoughts and feelings rather than getting stuck in them; it can be particularly helpful for anxiety, depression, and life transitions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) targets the link between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors by teaching practical skills to challenge unhelpful thinking patterns and build new coping strategies, which works well for stress, sleep problems, mood concerns, and anger issues.Sara treats the choice of approach as a collaborative process. She will work with clients to identify which methods best match their needs, goals, and personal preferences, adjusting techniques over time so the work feels relevant and manageable. The aim is to combine compassionate support with practical tools that fit each person's situation.
Online sessions are offered as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to provide flexibility for different schedules and communication styles. These formats make it easier to maintain continuity of care across busy lives, allow for shorter check-ins or more in-depth conversations as needed, and expand access to licensed professionals without requiring travel.
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
Also works with
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Bipolar disorder
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Communication problems
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Family conflicts
- Forgiveness
- Intimacy-related issues
- Life purpose
- Money and financial issues
- Parenting issues
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Relationship issues
- Sleeping disorders
- Trauma and abuse
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 13 years
- Licensed
- Illinois
- Languages
- English