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Sara Hopkin, LMFT
Location: Palo Alto
Ages: Children (5-12 years)
Teens (13-17 years)
Adults (18+ years)
Couples
Family
Experience: 8+ years
Sara Hopkin, LMFT
Cognitive Behavioral Therapist
Sara Hopkin is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She has experience working with children, teens, families, adults, and veterans. Sara is certified in DBT and she has strong clinical skills working with depression, anxiety and adjusting maladaptive patterns.
Sara has received two masters degrees, one from Swansea University in the United Kingdom in Child Development and Play Therapy and the other from John F. Kennedy University in Clinical Counseling. Sara is available for both in person and telehealth sessions. Sara believes that play therapy heals the heart and there is no age limitation on needing play!
Sara is from Ohio and believes in Midwestern kindness, love with clear boundaries, and that beaches with a good book is the best way to spend time.
Concerns:
- Academic Stress
- Anger
- Anxiety
- Attention-Deficit Disorder (ADHD)
- Behavioral Difficulties
- Bipolar
- Body Image
- Change in Personal Belief System
- Chronic or Terminal Illness
- Cultural Identity, Conflict, Adjustment
- Depression
- Divorce*
- Eating & Food Issues*
- Family Problems
- Financial Stress
- Hair Pulling (Trichotillomania)*
- Health Anxiety
- Insomnia
- LGBTQIA+
- Life Transitions
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)*
- Panic Attacks
- Parenting and Discipline
- Phobias
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Prenatal and Postpartum Concerns
- Relationships/Communication
- School Refusal*
- Self-Esteem
- Self-Harm
- Sexual Orientation
- Skin-Picking
- Social Anxiety
- Stress
- Suicidal Ideation
- Tinnitus*
- Tourette Syndrome, Tics
- Trauma
- Work/Career
Certifications/Intensive Study/Specialization:
- Art Therapy
- Attachment Therapy
- DBT Certified
- Play Therapy
- TEAM-CBT
Marriage and Family Therapists are mental health professionals trained in psychotherapy with a family systems influence, and licensed to diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders that affect individuals, couples, and families. The Federal government has designated marriage and family therapy as a core mental health profession along with psychiatry, psychology, social work and psychiatric nursing. The State of California support and regulate the profession by licensing MFTs.
Educational requirements
Marriage and Family Therapists have graduate training (either a masters or doctoral degree) in counseling psychology with an emphasis in marriage and family therapy. Prior to a rigorous exam process leading to licensure, LMFTs must complete at least 3,000 hours of post-graduate clinical experience under the supervision of a licensed mental health professional. Before full licensure, LMFTs are called “Associates”. LMFTs are employed in a variety of private and public settings, including private practice, community mental health centers, and behavioral managed care organizations.
Do LMFTs only work with clients who are having problems in their marriages and families?
No. While LMFTs are qualified to do couples and family therapy, most LMFTs work with individual adults to not only enhance the quality of their relationships, but also decrease symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress.
How can a LMFT help me?
Like other mental health professionals such as social workers, psychologists, and psychiatrists, LMFTs help clients by diagnosing and treating common emotional and behavioral difficulties that interfere with functioning at an optimal level. LMFTs use empirical-supported counseling techniques to help their clients achieve desired goals.