PuttingFamilyFirst

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SC Portrait of Sara Contreras
Online therapist

Sara Contreras

Compassionate, practical therapy for life transitions

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Credentials
LMFT
Experience
5 years
Licensed in
California
Languages
English
Format
Online sessions

About Sara

Sara Contreras is a licensed marriage and family therapist who uses practical, relationship-focused approaches to help people navigate hard moments. She leans on attachment work and cognitive strategies to address everyday stress, anxiety, grief, and life transitions. Sessions are conversational and straightforward so concerns can be named and understood quickly.

Her style is warm and nonjudgmental. She creates space for people to say what they really feel and to notice patterns that keep causing pain.

Background and approach

Clients learn small skills to reduce anxiety, handle anger, and improve sleep while also looking at deeper relational patterns when needed. Sara has five years of professional experience and holds a California licensed marriage and family therapist credential - CA LMFT 139564. That background informs how she blends short-term problem solving with longer-term work on attachment and meaning.

She commonly helps with parenting stress, relationship strain, identity and intimacy questions, and complications after loss or trauma. She also supports people dealing with ADHD, bipolar mood concerns, compassion fatigue, and health-related stress. Sessions are available by video, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different schedules.

To begin, a short matching questionnaire routes to a convenient time and format that works for the person seeking help.

Approaches that guide online sessions

Sara often blends attachment-based work and cognitive behavioral therapy in online sessions. Attachment-based work looks at how early relationships shape current patterns and helps people notice and change interaction habits that cause stress. Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on clear, practical strategies to shift unhelpful thoughts and behaviors and is useful for anxiety, sleep problems, and mood concerns.

Finding the right approach is a team effort. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, preferences, and what feels most useful. Together they decide whether to emphasize attachment themes, cognitive tools, or both, and they adjust the plan as progress is made.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to increase flexibility. These options let people access therapy from home, fit sessions around work or caregiving, and use shorter check-ins or longer video appointments depending on needs. The focus stays on practical, accessible steps that work in everyday life.

Attachment-Based Therapy

Looks at how early bonds shaped what you expect from closeness, and how that plays out now with a partner, a parent, or your own children.

Client-Centered Therapy

The direction comes from you rather than from a set programme. The therapist offers a warm, non-judgemental space to think out loud and work at your own pace. Online, this rests on the relationship rather than on being in the same room.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT looks at the link between what you think, how you feel, and what you do. You work on noticing unhelpful patterns and practising steadier responses. It suits online sessions well, because much of the work happens between appointments and can be talked through from anywhere.

Frequently asked questions

What issues does she commonly help with?
Sara works with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, depression, coping with life changes, parenting, relationship concerns, grief, and related areas listed in her profile.
What is her general therapeutic style?
She uses a warm, conversational approach that combines attachment ideas and cognitive tools. The work is collaborative and aims to name patterns and teach practical skills.
What is her training and experience?
She is a licensed marriage and family therapist with five years of professional experience and holds the credential CA LMFT 139564.
Where is she licensed to practice?
She is licensed in California under the designation CA LMFT 139564 and provides services from that jurisdiction.
Which languages are supported?
Sessions are offered in English.
What session formats are available?
Therapy can be scheduled as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to suit different needs and routines.
How are fees handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and then schedule a session based on the therapist's availability.

Specialties and expertise

Top specialties

Also works with

Therapeutic approaches

Experience
5 years
Licensed
California
Languages
English

Next step

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