Sarah Turnpaugh, LCSW
Helping people rewrite painful stories
Details
| Name | Sarah Turnpaugh |
|---|---|
| Credentials | LCSW |
| Based in | Virginia |
| Licensed in | Virginia |
| Session format | Online |
| Languages | English |
| Years in practice | 5 |
About Sarah
Sarah Turnpaugh is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) who focuses on narrative approaches to help people make sense of hard experiences. She offers straightforward, compassionate care for people feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, grief, or changes at work or home. Sarah writes in plain terms and aims to make therapy feel understandable and doable.
Sarah draws on Narrative Therapy alongside client-centered and cognitive behavioral ideas. She helps people notice the stories they tell about themselves and then try different ways of thinking and acting.
Background and approach
Sessions often involve talking through recent struggles, identifying small shifts, and practicing skills between meetings. Her background includes five years of clinical work in Virginia with adults and adolescents. Sarah uses motivational interviewing and solution-focused tactics when it fits a person’s goals.
She pays attention to relationships, attachment and experiences of loss or trauma while keeping conversations practical and grounded. People come for help with parenting stress, compassion fatigue, chronic illness, anger, body image, ADHD, or tough life transitions. Sarah also addresses concerns such as abandonment, communication problems, first responder stress, and coping after natural or human-caused disasters.
She aims to meet each person where they are and move at a pace that feels manageable. Therapy is offered through video, phone, live chat, and text-based messaging. Sarah asks new clients to complete a short matching questionnaire and then schedule sessions that fit their needs.
What this therapist works with
Her listing names Stress, Anxiety, Trauma and abuse, Grief among the things Sarah works with, alongside the areas below.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Self esteem
- Depression
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Career difficulties
- Coping with life changes
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Attachment issues
- Body image
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Emptiness
- Family problems
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Impulsivity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches listed
- Narrative Therapy: Named in her listing among her approaches.
- Client-Centered Therapy: Listed by Sarah among the ways she works.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Listed by Sarah among the ways she works.
- Motivational Interviewing: Listed by Sarah among the ways she works.
- Solution-Focused Therapy: Listed by Sarah among the ways she works.
- Trauma-Focused Therapy: Listed by Sarah among the ways she works.
- Training stated: This directory copies the approaches a therapist names and does not check training records. Ask Sarah directly how much of the work is narrative and what a session usually looks like.
Narrative Therapy in this listing
Narrative Therapy appears in this therapist's own list of approaches. That tells you it is part of how she works. It does not tell you how much of a session it shapes, and this directory does not check or rate training.
If a narrative approach is what you are looking for, it is worth asking Sarah directly how she uses it and what a session usually looks like.
Online session options
How narrative and practical approaches work online
Sarah uses Narrative Therapy to help people step back from the stories that shape their daily feelings and choices. Narrative work looks at how past events and relationships influence personal stories and helps people create alternative, more helpful narratives for stress, grief, or relationship struggles.She also uses Client-Centered Therapy to keep sessions focused on each person's experience and priorities. That approach emphasizes listening, empathy, and working at a pace the person finds comfortable. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is used when practical skill-building is helpful, such as managing anxiety, shifting unhelpful thoughts, or practicing behavioral changes between sessions.
Choosing the best approach is collaborative. Sarah talks with people about goals and preferences, then tailors narrative, client-centered, or CBT techniques to fit. She checks in and adapts the plan as progress and needs change.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and visual cues. Phone sessions work when bandwidth is limited or a shorter check-in is needed. Live chat and text messaging suit quick updates, journaling between meetings, or people who prefer writing over speaking. These options make therapy more flexible for busy schedules and varied life demands.
Common questions about this listing
What concerns does Sarah address in sessions?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and grief. Additional areas include parenting strain, relationship and family problems, ADHD, chronic illness, and caregiver stress.
What is Sarah's therapeutic style like?
Her approach is narrative and client-centered with practical CBT and solution-focused techniques. Sessions generally involve talking through personal stories and trying small changes that match your goals.
How much clinical experience does she have?
Sarah has five years of clinical experience working with adults and adolescents in Virginia. That background shapes how she blends narrative work with skills-based strategies.
What credential does she hold and where is she based?
She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LCSW, licensed in Virginia. Her practice is located in Virginia.
Are sessions available in other languages or from other countries?
Sessions are offered in English. International clients are not currently accepted.
Which session formats are offered?
Therapy is available by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. These options let people choose what fits their daily life best.
How does payment and cost work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability. Sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
What steps are required to begin therapy?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button and filling out a short matching questionnaire. After that you can schedule sessions based on the therapist's availability.
Contacting this therapist
Sessions with Sarah are arranged through our partner platform. It asks a few questions about what you are looking for, then shows you the therapists available to you, including Sarah where she has space. Ask about fees, and whether she holds a licence or registration where you live.
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