Hi, I’m Sarah.

As a relationship and trauma therapist, I’ve always been fascinated by people—the stories we carry, the relationships that shape us, and the ways we learn to survive. Becoming a therapist gave me a place to bring all of that curiosity together with a deep belief that healing happens in relationship, not in isolation.

My work centers around trauma, relationships, and attachment. I spend a lot of time helping people untangle the patterns that keep showing up in their lives—whether that means choosing the same partners, feeling stuck in conflict, struggling to trust, or wondering why they know exactly what they should do but still cannot seem to get there. Insight matters, but lasting change usually asks for something deeper: something more self-connected and internally driven.

I take a direct, compassionate approach to therapy. I will absolutely sit with you in the hard moments, but I will also gently challenge you when you are getting in your own way. My style is not about fixing you—because I do not believe you are broken. It is about helping you understand yourself more clearly, reconnect with the parts of you that have been carrying too much for too long, and build relationships that actually feel good to be in.

Over the years, my training, certifications, and clinical expertise center on three interconnected areas: (1) attachment and neurobiology (2) Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) and memory reconsolidation (EMDR), and (3) somatic psychology. Together, these frameworks help me remain curious, connected, and attuned to the work we do together in a relational space. My work is informed by EMDR, Somatic Integrated Processing, attachment theory, Internal Family Systems, Emotionally Focused Therapy, Gottman Method Couples Therapy, Relational Life Therapy, and psychodynamic approaches, but I do not believe in one-size-fits-all therapy. Every person walks through my door with a different history, background, experience, and way of making sense of the world. My approach reflects the respect I want people to feel when they leave my office.

Before becoming a therapist, I worked as an American Sign Language interpreter, an experience that deeply shaped how I think about communication, body language, disability, and the ways systems influence who we are. I learned a great deal through that work, and I carry that with me in the therapy room. As a therapist, I never stop learning. Education and learning is something I value deeply, and that commitment extends to you-striving and curious to keep learning about you too, including the parts of you that may be harder to accept.

Outside of the therapy room, I am usually painting, gardening, lifting weights, or making my loved ones laugh. I genuinely love learning, creating, and building things—whether that is helping someone rebuild their relationship with themselves or bringing a new idea to life.

At the end of the day, I want therapy to feel like a place where you do not have to perform, have it all figured out, or pretend you are okay. You get to show up exactly as you are. We will take it from there—together.

Beyond the Therapy Room

One of the things I love most about this work is that there's always more to learn. Whether I'm reading a new study, teaching graduate students, presenting at a conference, or mentoring clinicians, I'm thinking about all the things-how to become a better therapist, how to help others do the same, what are the missing pieces in clinical work, and how I can help bridge that divide.

Over the years, I've had the opportunity to teach graduate social work courses, present at national conferences, contribute to research, and publish on topics that I'm genuinely passionate about—including trauma, relationships, disability, substance use, and culturally responsive mental health care.

Some of the topics I've spoken and written about include:

  • Trauma and attachment

  • Disability and access to mental health care

  • Complex trauma and military community

  • Complex trauma and disability

  • Substance use and harm reduction

  • Forensic social work

  • Cultural responsiveness in psychotherapy

  • Working with Deaf, DeafBlind, Hard of Hearing, and Deaf New American communities

  • How relationships, families, and larger systems shape our mental health

Research has always been an important part of how I think. I've contributed to peer-reviewed publications and book chapters exploring childhood adversity, trauma, disability, and the ways our environments influence mental health. I don't see research as something separate from therapy—it's one of the ways I continue asking better questions and bringing thoughtful, evidence-informed care into my work.

Some of the graduate-level courses I’ve taught within social work, psychology, and substance use counseling include psychopathology, addiction, clinical practice, mental health policy, and interpersonal practice, and those experiences continue to shape me as a therapist.

A Few Things I’ve Been Lucky to Do

  • Author and featured work in Columbia University Press on transformative social work and disability.

  • Published research in Brain and Behavior examining childhood adversity and adolescent mental health.

  • National presenter for organizations including NAADAC, the National Organization of Forensic Social Work, the Association for Women in Psychology, Syracuse University, College of Law: Burton Blatt Institute, Drexel University College of Medicine, National Association of Social Work NYS, and the New York State Probation Officers Association, to name a few.

  • Recipient of Syracuse University's Spector/Warren Fellowship for Future Educators.

  • Graduate instructor, researcher, and invited speaker dedicated to advancing thoughtful, evidence-informed psychotherapy.

Let’s Work Together

Sarah Nunes, LCSW

Relationship & Trauma Therapist

EMDR Certified Therapist and EMDRIA Approved Consultant in Training™