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SS Portrait of Sara Scruggs

Sara Scruggs

Calm, practical support for life's transitions

LCSW Illinois

Experience
10 years in practice
Focus areas
Stress, Anxiety, Family, Self esteem
Approaches
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Client-Centered Therapy
Languages
English

About Sara

Sara Scruggs is a licensed clinical social worker with ten years of practice in Illinois who focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety, family difficulties, and self-esteem concerns.

Background and approach

She draws on a trauma-informed outlook and a variety of therapeutic methods to support clients through life transitions and periods of compassion fatigue, honoring each person's strengths while offering practical tools and empathic guidance.

Her work attends to relational patterns and everyday challenges alike, addressing attachment concerns, blended family dynamics, communication and control issues, and questions about life purpose and self-love. Sara integrates client-centered listening with structured techniques to help clients build confidence, navigate guilt or shame, process forgiveness, and reduce impulsivity or jealousy.

Her approach aims to balance emotional understanding with strategies that improve coping and functioning. Clients seeking help with workplace stress, commitment struggles, or family problems will find a practitioner who emphasizes collaboration and steady support.

Sara encourages goal-oriented progress while respecting each individual’s pace and lived experience, using her training and decade of clinical work to guide the process toward clearer choices and greater resilience.

Approaches and Flexibility in Online Therapy



Sara commonly incorporates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Client-Centered Therapy into her online work. CBT focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and behaviors and practicing concrete skills to reduce anxiety and improve coping, which can be helpful for stress, self-esteem, and workplace concerns. Client-centered therapy emphasizes empathic listening and validation, creating space for clients to explore values and life purpose while feeling understood.

She strives to tailor approaches collaboratively, recognizing that finding the right method is part of therapy. The therapist and client work together to choose techniques and goals that reflect personal needs and preferences, adjusting the plan as progress and new priorities emerge.

Online sessions are offered via video calls, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to increase accessibility and fit varied schedules. These formats make it possible to engage in skill practice, reflective conversations, and short check-ins without requiring travel, helping clients maintain continuity of care while balancing daily responsibilities.

Frequently asked questions

What concerns does she commonly address?
Sara works with stress, anxiety, family problems, self-esteem challenges, coping with life changes, and compassion fatigue, plus related issues such as attachment, communication, and workplace concerns.
What is her general therapeutic style?
Her style blends client-centered listening with evidence-informed techniques, using CBT and emotionally-focused methods alongside mindfulness and solution-focused strategies to match each client's needs.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has ten years of clinical experience practicing in Illinois and has worked with a range of relational and individual concerns during that time.
What credentials and location information are on record?
She holds the credential LCSW and is licensed in Illinois with licence number IL LCSW 149021155.
In which languages can sessions be held and are international clients accepted?
Sessions are offered in English, and she is not currently accepting international clients.
Which session formats does she offer?
Available formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to accommodate different preferences and schedules.
How are costs and subscriptions handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What steps are involved in beginning therapy?
To begin, select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule sessions according to therapist availability.

Areas of expertise

Additional focus areas

Attachment issuesBlended family issuesCommitment issuesCommunication problemsControl issuesFamily problemsForgivenessGuilt and shameImpulsivityJealousyLife purposeSelf-loveWorkplace issues

Therapeutic approaches

Client-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)Mindfulness TherapySolution-Focused TherapyTrauma-Focused Therapy

Experience

10+ years

Licensed

Illinois

Languages

English