Sarah Laninga, LCSW

A word from Aaron Collins, LMFT: We are thrilled to welcome Sarah Laninga to our practice, as she brings specialized expertise in working with children, which we have been actively seeking. Her addition is particularly timely given the growing demand for child and adolescent services in our community. With her extensive experience and diverse strengths, Sarah is poised to be a tremendous asset to our team. We are confident that anyone who chooses to collaborate with Sarah will benefit greatly from her innovative and creative skills.

Sincerely,

Aaron Collins, LMFT

Sarah's Qualifications: I have a Master of Social Work from the University of Michigan, and I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. I draw on multiple evidenced-based modalities and use techniques from Gestalt Therapy, Motivational Interviewing (MI), Internal Family Systems (IFS), Play Therapy, Sandplay Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Client-Centered Therapy, Horticultural Therapy, Reality Therapy, Transpersonal Therapy, and the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT).

As your therapist, I am here to help you heal and grow- I do this by creating a safe and understanding space where anything you bring can be explored openly and freely. I believe that connection is the cure, and that when we are nurturing connections within ourselves and with others, we’re actively paving the way for transformative healing. My clients describe me as steady, warm, optimistic, patient, playful, open minded, direct, and wise. 

I have a holistic and humanistic approach to therapy, and use a variety of modalities tailored to each person and their needs. Using these evidence-based techniques and diverse creative therapies, we’ll work together to equip you with the lessons and skills to gain insight and perspective, reclaim your sense of self, and discover your own innate ability to thrive in the face of adversity. I welcome, accept, and support all human beings and am an LGBTQIA+ ally.

 I try to make every effort to blend the stability and strength of disciplined therapeutic principles with the exponential power of play, curiosity, and intuition. I believe that growth takes effort and discipline as well as playfulness and joy. I also believe that humans learn best when they're engaged in being creative, so during sessions I often offer interactive activities, art, storytelling, somatic experiences, and mindfulness exercises.

Integrating our sessions into your day-to-day is vital - if it doesn’t translate to your life, what’s the point? So we’ll find unique ways for you to practice and integrate the topics of our sessions into your daily life in order to encourage a healthy and balanced mind, body, and spirit.

I work with humans of all ages, however I specialize in doing therapy with young people and have extensive training and experience working with childhood (5+), adolescence, and young adulthood. 

If you are seeking therapy because you are looking for help with severe psychopathology or personality disorder, are seeking couples therapy, therapy for the sake of court related goals, or if you are currently in an acute crisis, I am likely not the right fit for you. Reach out, and we’ll figure it out together.

When I’m not working, I love to garden, exercise, read, swim, and hike- all in a day if can! And do it all with good food and good company.