- DBT skills
- ACT and CBT
- Attachment focus
About Sarah
Sarah Baumgardner is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in West Virginia with 13 years of experience. She works with adults who are facing addictions, trauma and abuse, LGBT-related concerns, coping with life changes, and ADHD. She also addresses feelings of shame and guilt that come up around identity, relationships, and past choices.
Her sessions use practical, conversational work rather than jargon. She leans on Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) alongside Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Attachment-Based Therapy, and client-centered methods. That means clients learn skills for emotion regulation, notice unhelpful thinking patterns, and clarify what matters to them.
Sarah describes the work as collaborative. She helps people name painful feelings, look at how those feelings affect behavior, and try small changes that can lessen their grip. Conversations may include relationship patterns, attachment issues, or substance use concerns tied to shame and avoidance.
Her background includes many years supporting people through complex life changes and co-occurring problems. She brings experience with adoption and foster care issues, abandonment, caregiver stress, codependency, dissociation, and substance-related problems. This gives a broad perspective when multiple concerns overlap.
Sessions focus on building coping tools, improving communication, and strengthening attachment patterns people carry into their current relationships. Sarah asks questions, offers practical strategies, and helps clients test new ways of responding to guilt and shame so they can move forward with clearer intentions.
How therapeutic approaches are used in online sessions
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people get clearer about their values and take small actions toward them despite difficult feelings. It can be useful when guilt or shame makes people avoid important parts of life. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) focuses on building concrete skills for managing intense emotions and improving relationships. That can help when shame leads to self-criticism or impulsive coping. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at patterns of thinking that keep shame and guilt alive, and offers steps to test and change those thoughts.Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. Sarah will collaborate with each client to decide which methods fit their goals and preferences. She aims to help people try different strategies and see what helps in day-to-day life rather than prescribing one fixed method.
Confirm the session formats directly when booking, as session delivery options are not listed here. Online sessions can make it easier to schedule therapy around work, caregiving, or school commitments, and they can shorten travel time. Some formats are easier for quick check-ins or for people who prefer not to be on camera, while others allow longer, more in-depth work. Ask about the available format when you complete the matching questionnaire so sessions can fit into regular routines.
Areas of expertise
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
13+ years
Listed in
West Virginia
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she address?
She works with addictions, trauma and abuse, LGBT-related concerns, coping with life changes, ADHD, and issues tied to shame or guilt.
How would she approach feelings of shame?
She uses DBT skills alongside ACT and CBT to help people notice shame, learn emotion regulation, and try different responses to self-critical thoughts.
What relevant experience does she have?
She has 13 years of clinical experience supporting people with complex, overlapping issues including substance-related problems, attachment concerns, and caregiving stress.
What are her credentials and location?
She is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) licensed in West Virginia and practices with clients in that state.
Can sessions be conducted in other languages?
Sessions are offered in English.
Does she work with international clients?
International clients are not currently accepted.
How are sessions paid for?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
What should I do to begin?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, use the crisis numbers.