Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Tanner.
Hi Sara, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My path to becoming a therapist began with a deep curiosity about the human mind and a desire to understand why people respond to difficult experiences in the ways that they do. My own experiences with trauma played an important role in that curiosity. I found myself wanting to understand not only why trauma can affect people so deeply, but also why we sometimes develop behaviors and coping mechanisms that may have once helped us survive but later become difficult to live with.
That curiosity ultimately led me to pursue a career in mental health. I began my career as a counseling student and later worked as an LPC-Associate before becoming a Licensed Professional Counselor and eventually opening my own private practice.
Opening my practice was about more than simply building a business. I wanted to create a space where people could feel genuinely seen, heard, and understood—especially individuals whose experiences had made them feel misunderstood or alone. One of the most meaningful parts of being a therapist is realizing that, for some clients, sitting in my office may be the first time they have ever experienced someone listening to their story with complete attention, compassion, and without judgment. That is incredibly powerful to witness.
Today, my practice focuses largely on trauma in both adults and children, with a particular emphasis on sexual trauma, complex trauma, attachment, and infertility-related trauma. Some of the experiences that shaped my own life have influenced the work I feel most passionate about, and they have given me an even deeper appreciation for how important it is to create a therapeutic relationship where people don’t have to minimize what they’ve been through.
Ultimately, my journey has been about turning curiosity into purpose. I wanted to understand trauma, but along the way, I discovered that understanding it is only part of the work. Helping people develop compassion for themselves, understand why they respond the way they do, and realize that they are more than what happened to them has become the heart of what I do.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely has not been a smooth road, but I think some of the challenges along the way have ultimately shaped me into the therapist and business owner I am today.
One of the more personal challenges has been navigating infertility and my own health journey while simultaneously trying to build and grow a private practice. Starting a business requires a tremendous amount of energy, consistency, and emotional investment, and there have been seasons when I have had to learn how to keep showing up professionally while also making space for difficult things happening personally. Experiencing infertility has also given me an even deeper understanding of the grief, uncertainty, and emotional exhaustion that many of my clients experience.
There were also plenty of fears that came with starting my own practice. Leaving the security of working for someone else and building something from the ground up can be intimidating. There is a lot of uncertainty—you have to learn how to be a clinician, a business owner, an administrator, and a leader all at once. There were definitely moments when I questioned whether I was making the right decision or whether I could actually make it work.
What I’ve learned, though, is that growth rarely happens without some uncertainty. I had to become comfortable taking calculated risks, learning as I went, asking for help, and trusting myself even when I didn’t have everything figured out yet. Looking back, some of the obstacles I was most afraid of have actually become some of the experiences that have made me more resilient, compassionate, and confident in both my clinical work and my leadership.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My practice is a trauma-focused private practice dedicated to helping children, adolescents, and adults understand how their experiences have shaped the way they think, feel, relate to others, and move through the world. I specialize primarily in complex trauma, sexual trauma, attachment, and infertility-related trauma, while also supporting clients through anxiety, life transitions, relationship difficulties, and other challenges that often intersect with trauma.
What sets my practice apart is the emphasis on creating a space where clients feel genuinely seen and understood rather than simply treated for a diagnosis or a list of symptoms. I believe that healing begins with understanding the “why” behind our patterns and developing compassion for the parts of ourselves that learned to survive difficult experiences. My approach integrates several evidence-informed and experiential modalities, including Internal Family Systems (IFS), attachment-based therapy, brainspotting, play therapy, Theraplay, sand tray therapy, and other approaches tailored to each client’s individual needs.
I am especially passionate about working with populations whose experiences can be difficult to understand from the outside, including survivors of sexual trauma and individuals navigating the often-overlooked emotional trauma of infertility. These areas of work are particularly meaningful to me because of how deeply personal experiences can shape the way we approach our lives and relationships.
What I am most proud of about my brand is that it feels human. I never wanted my practice to feel clinical in the sense of being cold or impersonal. I want clients to know that there is room for their entire story—the difficult parts, the complicated parts, and even the parts they may feel ashamed of. My goal is to offer a therapeutic relationship rooted in compassion, safety, curiosity, and genuine connection.
Ultimately, I want my brand to represent the idea that people are more than what happened to them. My practice is a place where clients can begin to understand their stories, reconnect with themselves, and move toward healing without having to minimize or erase the experiences that shaped them.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I wouldn’t traditionally consider myself a risk-taker. I’ve always appreciated stability and the security of knowing what to expect. One of the biggest risks I’ve taken was leaving the traditional employment path and opening my own private practice. I remember wondering, “Will people actually want to come see me? Will I be able to make this work?” There was a lot of uncertainty that came with stepping out on my own. Interestingly, becoming an entrepreneur has made me much more comfortable with risk. As my practice has grown, I’ve taken on risks I never would have considered before, including bringing employees onto my team and taking on the responsibilities that come with growing a business. I’ve learned that risk doesn’t necessarily mean being reckless—it can mean being willing to step outside of your comfort zone when you believe strongly enough in what you’re building.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.livingwaterscounselling.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/livingwaterscounseling
- Other: https://share.google/UTfnh1yXmPBzFBKbV
