Sandra Renner, MA, LMHC

I am a seasoned psychotherapist with over thirty years of experience. My passion is helping people heal from various types of trauma, especially spiritual trauma. I try to see things through a JEDI (Justice, Equity. Diversity, Inclusion) lense. I am LGBTQ and non-binary friendly.

Throughout my career, I have worked with all kinds of folks in all kinds of settings, including homeless women’s shelters, inpatient psychiatric units, an outpatient counseling center, and private practice. I have also been a facilitator for Circle of Security parenting groups. The Circle of Security program is about supporting new parents in attachment-based parenting.

My approach varies according to your goals for psychotherapy. I begin with a thorough assessment, using a bio-psycho-social perspective. If you choose to work with me, we will collaborate on a flexible treatment plan that makes sense to both of us. I offer an attentive presence and a safe place to experience feelings, explore options and practice new behaviors.

Mindfulness is essential to all of my work. I meditate regularly, and will happily introduce you to different types of meditation if you are interested. I am trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and trauma-informed approaches . I am trained in the neurobiology of trauma, and I keep up with research-based developments in the treatment of PTSD. I sometimes bring music, art or poetry into the therapy space because some people connect easier through these modalities than traditional “talk therapy”. I am open to discussing societal and global anxieties that many people are struggling with today. I use both “bottom up” techniques (focusing on the wisdom of the body) and “top down” (focusing on thoughts or beliefs), as both are important in healing. I am a life-long learner and love to expand my knowledge base, in order to better serve my clients. I take the spiritual dimension of of life seriously and am happy to discuss this dimension with you if you wish. I honor all spiritual paths, including atheism and paganism. I have particular expertise in treating spiritual abuse and trauma, which can happen in any spiritual path.

I consider myself a wounded healer-I have struggled with many of the issues that my clients bring into therapy, and I draw from this wealth of life experience to empathize and help my clients.

Mindfulness is essential in all of my work. I am trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and other trauma-informed approaches, using recent discoveries in the neurobiology of trauma as a base. I sometimes bring music, art, or literature into the therapy room because some people connect better through these modalities than through traditional talk therapy. I find both “bottom up” (focusing on the body and sensations) and “top-down” (more cognitive, or focusing on thinking) approaches very useful in treating the whole person. I am a life-long learner and love to expand my knowledge base, in order to better serve my clients. I take the spiritual dimension of life seriously, and am happy to discuss this dimension with you if you wish. I honor all spiritual paths including atheism. I have particular expertise in treating spiritual abuse/trauma.

I consider myself a wounded healer - I have struggled with many of the issues that my clients bring into therapy, and draw upon my life experience to better understand and help them.

I offer a free 30-minute phone consultation prior to starting therapy. I am also available for consultation with other therapists in the area of spiritual abuse recovery.