Sara Dabney, LCSW

Sara Dabney is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) based in Florida who blends practical, evidence-informed methods with a client-centered style. She focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety, depression, addictions, and relationship or intimacy concerns. She also supports those coping with grief, parenting strain, and life changes.

Sara trained in social work at the University of South Florida and has five years of clinical experience. Early in her career she taught yoga and trained in massage therapy, which shaped her attention to the body and breath in therapy. Her graduate work included a focus on child maltreatment and research involving HIV and PTSD symptoms.

In sessions she draws on acceptance and commitment therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy skills, mindfulness, and motivational interviewing. She favors short, clear practices clients can use between sessions, such as grounding, values-based goal setting, and simple behavior changes. The work aims to connect daily choices with long-term goals.

Sara welcomes people of all faiths, gender identities, and sexual orientations. She has additional experience supporting concerns related to adoption and foster care, autism, kink communities, chronic illness, and substance use. Her approach is conversational and focused on practical next steps.

If someone is unsure what to expect, she frames therapy as a collaborative process. She helps people figure out which strategies fit their life and adjusts plans as needs change.

How therapeutic approaches guide online work

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice unhelpful thoughts and choose actions that match their values. It uses simple exercises to build motivation and steady progress on goals. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying patterns of thinking and behavior that contribute to distress and then testing small changes to see what helps. Mindfulness Therapy trains attention to the present moment and can reduce reactivity to stress and cravings.

Choosing an approach is often part of the collaboration. The therapist will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and life demands, and then suggest strategies to try. That plan is adjusted over time based on what actually works for the individual.

Because the profile does not list specific session formats, confirm the available online options before booking. Many people find that working with a licensed professional online can make it easier to fit sessions into busy days, practice brief skills between appointments, and get steady support while managing work or caregiving responsibilities. Online work can also allow for shorter check-ins or phone-based conversations when sitting for a longer session is difficult. The focus remains on building useful tools and habits that fit into everyday life.