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SS Portrait of Sara Scruggs

Sara Scruggs

Compassionate clinician focused on practical growth

About Sara

Sara Scruggs is an LCSW with ten years of clinical experience practicing in Illinois. She draws on a trauma-informed perspective and a range of therapeutic tools to help people manage stress, anxiety, and major life transitions.

Background and approach

Her work emphasizes recognizing each person's strengths while offering structured support for navigating family tensions, compassion fatigue, and challenges with self-esteem and motivation. Her approach integrates evidence-based techniques to address communication and relationship patterns, attachment concerns, and issues like guilt, shame, or jealousy.

Sara also works with clients on practical skills for coping with workplace stress, control struggles, and decisions around commitment or blended family dynamics. She aims to balance empathic listening with problem-solving strategies so clients feel supported while making measurable changes.

Sara believes therapy is a collaborative process that centers the client’s goals and lived experience. She uses her LCSW training to create an environment focused on growth, resilience, and clearer direction, helping people move toward greater self-love, forgiveness, and a renewed sense of purpose.

Approach and Online Care with Evidence-Based Methods

Client-centered therapy emphasizes listening and collaboration, focusing on the client's goals and strengths to guide each session and support personal growth. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) uses structured techniques to identify unhelpful thoughts and behaviors and to build practical skills for managing anxiety, stress, and workplace or relationship difficulties. Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) explores emotional patterns and attachment-related responses to help improve communication and repair disconnects in important relationships.

Choosing the right approach is part of the therapeutic process, and the therapist works collaboratively with each client to determine which methods fit their needs, goals, and preferences. Together they may try different techniques and adjust the focus over time to find what produces the most useful progress for the individual.

Online therapy offers practical benefits such as flexible scheduling and multiple formats to suit varying needs. Clients can meet by video calls or phone sessions for in-depth conversations, or use live chat and text-based messaging for more frequent check-ins and between-session support. These options make it easier to maintain continuity of care around work, family, or geographic constraints while accessing the guidance of licensed professionals.

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of concerns does Sara address?
Sara works with stress, anxiety, family conflict, self esteem, coping with life changes, and compassion fatigue, along with related issues such as attachment, communication problems, and workplace concerns.
What is her general therapeutic style?
Her style blends empathy with practical strategies, using client-centered listening alongside approaches like CBT and mindfulness to help clients identify goals and try new coping skills.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has ten years of experience providing mental health support in Illinois, applying that background to a range of emotional and relational concerns.
What credentials and location are listed for her practice?
Sara holds the LCSW credential and practices in Illinois; her listed license is IL LCSW 149021155.
Which languages are available for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English only and she is not accepting international clients at this time.
In what formats are sessions offered?
She provides flexible online options including video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different preferences and schedules.
How are costs and billing handled?
Costs vary with location and therapist availability; sessions are delivered through a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What are the first steps to begin working together?
Begin by selecting the Start Therapy button, completing a short matching questionnaire, and then scheduling sessions according to the therapist's availability.