- Attachment work
- DBT skills
- Relationship focus
About Sara
Sara Tinker is an LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker) in Tennessee with 26 years of clinical experience. She works with adults on concerns such as stress, anxiety, depression, relationship problems, parenting strain, grief, intimacy issues, and family of origin patterns. Sara also supports people facing chronic illness, caregiving stress, addiction-related issues, and questions around gender and sexual identity.
Her work blends several psychotherapy approaches and practical skills. She uses Attachment-Based ideas to look at how early relationships affect adult behavior. Client-Centered methods shape sessions around each person's perspectives and goals. Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills are offered for emotion regulation and distress tolerance. Emotionally-Focused Therapy influences her work with relationship and intimacy issues. Existential themes come up when people wrestle with meaning, loss, or life changes.
Sara’s background includes earlier graduate study in exercise physiology and later social work training at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Over decades she has worked in community mental health, adolescent psychiatric and substance-related settings, and ran a private practice beginning in 1992. Those roles inform how she blends talk-based therapy with somatic and practical techniques.
In sessions she focuses on building a steady working relationship and practical skills people can use between meetings. Conversations often include boundary-setting, communication practice, managing mood swings, and coping tools for pain or stress. For people tracing current patterns back to childhood, she explores attachment dynamics and family-of-origin influences in straightforward terms.
Her experience includes work with survivors of addiction and related housing programs, and with clients coping with long-term health problems. Sara works in English and practices in Tennessee.
How attachment and skills work translate to online sessions
Attachment-Based work looks at patterns from early relationships and how they shape current reactions and closeness. Online sessions can use conversation and reflective questions to map those patterns and try new interaction strategies. Client-Centered Therapy focuses on what matters to the person in the room, following their priorities and pace to clarify goals and choices. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) offers concrete emotion regulation and distress-tolerance skills that can be taught and practiced during remote meetings. Choosing an approach is collaborative. The therapist and client review needs, goals, and preferences and decide which methods to emphasize. That may change over time as immediate problems are handled and deeper themes are explored. The practical benefits of remote work include fitting sessions into a busy week and avoiding travel time. You can schedule shorter check-ins when needed, and sessions can be arranged to work around caregiving, medical appointments, or work breaks. Confirm current session options before booking so you know which formats are offered and what will best fit your routine.Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
26+ years
Listed in
Tennessee
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she address?
Sara works with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and intimacy issues, parenting strain, grief, addictions, and family of origin patterns among other concerns.
What is her therapeutic style?
She blends Attachment-Based and Client-Centered approaches with skills-based DBT and Emotionally-Focused ideas to address emotions, relationships, and meaning.
How much experience does she have?
She has 26 years of clinical experience, including roles in community mental health, adolescent psychiatric care, substance-related treatment, and private practice since 1992.
What are her credentials and practice location?
She holds the LCSW credential and practices in Tennessee.
Which languages are supported?
Sessions are offered in English.
Does she work with international clients?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
How are fees handled?
Cost varies with location; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Use the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger, use the emergency numbers. Looking for someone else? Find them by surname.