Sarah Spurling, LCSW
Licensed in Illinois · 3 years in practice
Sarah Spurling is a licensed clinical social worker who helps people feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, or stuck.
License and registration
- LCSW, Illinois
- 149030436 · expires November 2027
- NPI
- 1831803188 · national provider identifier
- Years in practice
- 3
- Languages
- English
Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check any license with the state board and any NPI with the national registry.
About Sarah
Sarah Spurling is a licensed clinical social worker who helps people feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, or stuck. She works with adults coping with anxiety, grief, trauma, low self-esteem, and questions around gender and sexual identity. Her style is calm and relational, aiming to make sessions feel like a safe place to be honest without pressure to have everything figured out.
Sarah centers the relationship first. She listens closely and helps people name what’s happening for them.
Background and approach
Together they focus on practical skills and clearer ways to handle difficult feelings. Sessions are paced to match each person’s readiness for change. Her background includes three years of clinical experience working with stress, trauma and neurodivergence concerns.
She also runs autism support groups and brings that group work experience into individual sessions when helpful. Sarah uses familiar, straightforward language so conversations stay clear and useful. In sessions she blends talk-based approaches with hands-on coping strategies.
That can mean practicing new ways to respond to anxious thoughts, learning emotion regulation skills, or choosing values-based steps forward. The emphasis is on techniques that fit into daily life, not on tests or labels. Beginning therapy with Sarah involves a short matching process and scheduling a time that works.
She aims to help people feel more grounded and connected over time, with simple tools and steady support.
Focus areas and approaches
Everything Sarah lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.
- Stress, Anxiety
- LGBT
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Self esteem
- Abandonment
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Body image
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dissociation
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- First responder issues
- Gender dysphoria
- Guilt and shame
- Immigration issues
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Sarah names
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Existential Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Somatic Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
- Internal Family Systems
- Systemic Therapy
Naming an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist lists and does not check training records.
Online support
Approaches that guide online sessions
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, focuses on noticing inner experiences and choosing actions that match personal values. It helps people move forward even when difficult thoughts or feelings remain present. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at how thoughts, feelings and behaviors link together and teaches clear tools to shift unhelpful patterns. It can be useful for anxiety, low mood, and self-critical thinking. Client-Centered Therapy centers the relationship and the person’s own goals, creating space to be heard and to explore choices at a comfortable pace.Figuring out the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what has or hasn’t helped before. Together they decide which methods to try and adjust the plan as progress and needs change, keeping the process collaborative and flexible.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video calls let people use visual cues and practice skills in real time. Phone sessions can be a simpler option when bandwidth is limited or when someone prefers not to be on camera. Live chat and text messaging allow quick check-ins, short reflections, or continued support between longer sessions. These options make it easier to fit care into work, school, caregiving, and other routines.
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Questions people ask
What issues does she address?
She helps adults with stress, anxiety, grief, trauma and self-esteem concerns, and supports LGBT-related issues and gender dysphoria.
How would you describe her therapy style?
Her style is relational and supportive, focusing on building trust and using practical tools that fit day-to-day life.
What is her clinical experience?
She has three years of clinical experience working with adults on anxiety, trauma, life transitions, and neurodivergence and runs autism support groups.
What credentials and location are listed?
She holds an Illinois Licensed Clinical Social Worker credential - LCSW - and is based in Illinois.
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English and international clients are not currently accepted.
What session formats are available?
Sessions can be conducted via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging.
How does cost and billing work?
Cost varies by location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.
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