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LCMHC, LCPC

Sara Nielsen, LCMHC, LCPC

  • Experience19 years
  • LocationAlabama
  • Focus areasADHD, Stress and Anxiety, and Trauma and abuse
  • Therapy approachesAcceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Client-Centered Therapy
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About Sara

Sara Nielsen is a licensed mental health counselor with 19 years of clinical experience, practicing in Alabama.

Background and approach

She holds LCMHC and LCPC credentials and has supported people facing a wide range of concerns including anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, eating and food-related issues, bipolar disorder, addictions, ADHD, and challenges tied to relationships and identity. Her background also includes work with grief, career stress, compassion fatigue, and complex presentations involving co-morbidity and impulsivity.

Her therapeutic stance is collaborative and nonjudgmental, centering the client's voice when shaping treatment. Sessions draw on cognitive behavioral strategies, acceptance and commitment principles, dialectical behavior techniques, and mindfulness practices, with flexibility to emphasize strengths-based and client-centered methods depending on what feels most useful.

She aims to tailor the pace and tools to each person's goals and lived experience. Sara presents counseling as a partnership that acknowledges how difficult seeking help and making change can be.

She offers guidance through transitions such as divorce and separation, family of origin concerns, body image and identity questions, and other life stressors while helping clients identify practical skills and values-driven steps forward.

Evidence-Informed Approaches and Online Care

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify what matters most to them and learn skills for taking values-driven action even when difficult thoughts and feelings appear. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thinking patterns and behaviors to reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and many common concerns. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills teach emotion regulation, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and mindfulness techniques that are useful for intense emotions and relationship challenges.

Finding the most helpful approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will work with clients to explore goals, preferences, and responses to different strategies, adjusting the mix of ACT, CBT, DBT, mindfulness, and client-centered work so treatment fits the individual's needs.

Online sessions offer practical flexibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging, making it easier to fit therapy into busy lives or access care from home. These formats support regular contact and skill practice while allowing licensed professionals to tailor interventions and check progress remotely.

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of concerns does she address?
Sara works with a broad range of issues including stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, eating and food-related problems, bipolar disorder, addictions, ADHD, relationship and intimacy-related issues, and grief among others.
What is her therapeutic style like?
Her approach is collaborative and interactive, blending cognitive behavioral, acceptance and commitment, dialectical behavior, mindfulness, and client-centered techniques to match each person's needs and preferences.
How long has she been practicing?
She has 19 years of experience providing counseling and psychotherapy across a variety of clinical concerns and treatment approaches.
Where is she licensed and based?
Sara practices in Alabama and holds the credentials LCMHC and LCPC with NH LCMHC 3364 and KS LCPC LCPC 2756 listed among her credential details.
Does she speak other languages or accept international clients?
She provides services in English and is not currently accepting international clients.
What session formats are available?
Sessions are offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to provide a range of ways to connect.
How is cost handled for sessions?
Costs vary depending on location and therapist availability, and sessions use 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 according to therapist availability.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Stress, AnxietyTrauma and abuseEating disordersDepressionCoping with life changes

Also works with

AddictionsLGBTRelationship issuesFamily conflictsGriefIntimacy-related issuesSleeping disordersAnger managementSelf esteemCareer difficultiesBipolar disorderCoachingCompassion fatigueADHD

Additional focus areas

Body imageCo-morbidityCodependencyCommunication problemsDivorce and separationDomestic violenceEating and food-related issuesEmptinessFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsForgivenessGender dysphoriaGuilt and shameHoardingImpulsivityInfidelityJealousyLife purposeMood disordersObsessions, compulsions, and OCDPanic disorder and panic attacksPhobiasPolyamory / non-monogamous relationshipsPost-traumatic stressSeasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-loveSexual assault and abuseSexual dysfunctionSexualitySocial anxiety and phobiaTrichotillomaniaWomen's issues

Therapeutic approaches

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)Client-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)Mindfulness TherapyMotivational InterviewingNarrative TherapyPsychodynamic TherapySolution-Focused TherapyTrauma-Focused TherapyInternal Family Systems

Experience

19+ years

Licensed

Missouri, Kansas, New Hampshire, Alabama

Languages

English

What Sara can help with

Sara Nielsen works with clients on stress and anxiety, trauma and abuse, eating disorders, depression, and coping with life changes.

Sara has experience with couples therapy.

Sara has worked with clients with depression, anxiety, and trauma.

How Sara approaches therapy

Sara's clinical approaches include Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Mindfulness Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Narrative Therapy, and Psychodynamic Therapy.

Experience and training

Sara is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor practicing in Alabama.