Sarah Anderson

My Story

I’m a human joy-bomb with an empath's presence, carrying the vernacular of my rural Appalachian roots. As someone who easily lights up a room, I know the feeling of being young and full of life yet unseen. As a non-adult, the inner nuances of one’s work can go unnoticed, leaving us feeling misunderstood, alone, and, for some like me, carrying the weight of undiagnosed mental illness. From being a farm kid in rural NWNC to enduring rigorous music training in college to discovering my own diagnosis at 30, my life has been a sorted and brilliant journey toward rooted identity and self-acceptance. 

Along this journey, I received my bachelor’s degree in K-12 Music Education from Wingate University in 2017, worked as a choral arts teacher in rural NWNC, then pivoted across the world, leading to my return to WNC to receive a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Western Carolina University. This has allowed me to become a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Associate (LCMHCA) and National Certified Counselor (NCC).

In the counseling room, these experiences show up through centering hope, systemic awareness, and resilient strength to come alongside my clients as they overcome challenges, uncover abilities, and learn to fully embody their unique essence, one session at a time. With children and adolescents, this includes empowering choice with safe limits, centering their experience in a world that isn’t made for them, and collaboratively considering the entire family and community as factors in the overall well-being of my client and their loved ones. Practically, this can include encouraging creativity and play, allowing big feelings and hard words, letting the client lead, consenting to collaboration with caregivers and community, and fostering a confidential space for my clients to let their guard down and truly explore the nuances of their inner and outer worlds.

In session, I invite clients to use creative and expressive arts, client-led play, and other experiential skills related to somatic experiencing to empower expression, regardless of developmental age. These experiential methods are often paired with skills and concepts from acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), child-centered play therapy (CCPT), trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), motivational interviewing (MI), and community resilience models (CRM). All of this is informed by a systemic lens and by my ongoing work to combat learned, socialized, or systemically allowed biases in my life, and to empower clients to be their full, authentic selves and thrive despite limiting meta-narratives and policies.

When I am not working, I am connecting with my community, spirituality, and creativity. This looks like attending a local sewing group, catching up with friends over coffee, exploring the parkway in all seasons, spending quality time with my dog and husband, dropping off rolls of film at Ball Photo, enjoying my spiritual rhythms, planning next year's garden, and making good meals. Each of these small steps helps me care for my own well-being and embody my truest self, so I can be fully present with my clients as they navigate their own journeys in the counseling room.

I specialize in:

• Life transitions

• Grief and loss

• Career exploration

• Rural & farming communities

• Intercultural identity & communication