Sara Kassem

I work virtually with adults, offering two kinds of support.

Single session therapy and coaching

For anyone who wants to tackle a problem without mining their trauma, or who would like a fresh perspective and another pair of eyes on a persistent problem. These sessions are not a substitute for long-term therapy, but they can be a great complement to it. They are not crisis appointments: they are intentional, collaborative sessions, so please come with an idea of the problem or question you want to work on. Single sessions are limited to 4 in a 12-month period.

Ongoing therapy

My area of interest and expertise is energy flow: where and how we are spending our energy, and how often we are truly in choice about those decisions. Healing ultimately is not about what we do or don't do; it's about the proportion of choice in our lives. Survival patterns hijack our thinking brain and take instinct-driven action, whether or not it matches the situation.

Many of us are exhausted and burnt out because short-term survival energy got stuck in the "on" position long term. Energy that was meant for creativity, joy and healthy protection got rerouted to simply surviving. There comes a time when the tension between our automatic survival instincts and the people we know we really are underneath them reaches a boiling point.

That's where I come in. I have a natural attunement to energy and a career dedicated to studying relational dynamics, and the ways that rearranging or removing different pieces can change the energy flow of a system. My years as a family therapist shaped this Tetris-like approach to moving energy around to clear a path to better flow and harmony.

I have a special interest in the densest and heaviest energies, shame, embarrassment and pity, and the ways we all over- or under-compensate in the face of them. These are the energies that clog our systems. I love to talk about what most people hate to talk about: failure, whether systemic, environmental or individual. I don't want to spend energy solving the wrong problem just to save some hurt feelings, so we put it all on the table, warts and all, so that we can solve the right problems.

I often think of myself as a personal trainer for the mind, emotions and spirit, and I ask the people I work with to come ready for a workout. My job is to challenge you enough for growth while holding your safety as the highest priority. I ask for an understanding that this relationship is high accountability for high payoff: building your confidence by building your capacity to navigate what life throws at you.

I've been a social worker since 2010 and have worked with many different populations, across borders too. My toolbox is eclectic: I use parts work, somatic exercises, DBT and other treasures I've picked up along the way. I care deeply about the self in context, and nothing energizes me more than talking about energy. If you're ready to turn your world right-side up, this could be a great collaboration.