About Sara
Dr. Sara Lewis-Stankus helps people who feel stuck by focusing on practical steps they can use right away. She is a licensed professional counselor with 26 years of experience and she writes in plain, direct terms when talking about change.
Many people come to her for anxiety, stress, relationship concerns, low self-esteem, career problems, or life coaching. She creates a space where clients can talk honestly without judgement. Her work centers on identifying patterns that hold people back.
Background and approach
She helps clients notice fears, doubts, and habits that keep them from their goals. Together they pick realistic steps to try between sessions and check what worked. This approach keeps progress grounded and measurable.
Dr. Lewis-Stankus uses a mix of well-known methods to match each person’s needs. She draws on client-centered listening to understand priorities and uses cognitive behavioral techniques to change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors.
When appropriate she adds mindfulness practices and skills training to manage strong emotions. She also addresses issues such as abandonment, attachment concerns, body image, caregiver stress, chronic illness and pain, communication problems, control issues, divorce and separation, guilt and shame, impulsivity, isolation, and jealousy. These topics are woven into the practical work of building new habits and improving daily functioning.
Based in West Virginia, she works with English-speaking clients and welcomes people from other locations. Her goal is to help each person move from feeling overwhelmed to feeling more capable and clear about their next steps.
How therapeutic approaches translate to online care
Client-centered therapy emphasizes listening and understanding the client’s priorities. In an online session this means the therapist begins by asking what matters most to the person and shapes each meeting around those goals. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors; online work uses discussion, worksheets, and small homework tasks to test new ways of thinking and acting.Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to decide which methods to try first based on needs, goals, and what feels comfortable. Sessions can shift over time so techniques match progress and practical life demands.
Online formats offered include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video is useful for deeper conversation and practicing skills together. Phone sessions can be a simpler option when bandwidth or camera use is limited. Live chat and messaging make it easy to check in between meetings or manage short updates. These options give flexibility for busy schedules, travel, and different communication preferences while keeping therapy focused and goal-oriented.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Attachment issues
- Body image
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Coaching
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Divorce and separation
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Phobias
- Post-traumatic stress
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Self-love
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 26 years
- Licensed
- West Virginia, California, Florida
- Languages
- English
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