Sarah Spurling, LCSW
Illinois · 3 years in practice
Sarah Spurling is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) based in Illinois who helps adults who feel overwhelmed, stuck, or drained by everyday life.
License and registration
- LCSW, Illinois
- 149030436 · expires November 2027
- NPI
- 1831803188 · national provider identifier
- Years in practice
- 3
- Languages
- English
Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check the license with the issuing state board, and the NPI with the national registry.
About Sarah
Sarah Spurling is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) based in Illinois who helps adults who feel overwhelmed, stuck, or drained by everyday life. She works with people dealing with anxiety, stress, grief, trauma, low self-esteem, and questions about gender and sexual identity. Her approach aims to make therapy feel like a steady, practical place to pause and regroup.
Sarah’s style is warm and relationship-focused. She emphasizes being heard rather than rushed.
Background and approach
Sessions are paced to fit each person, not a one-size-fits-all plan. She encourages honesty and dropping the need to perform or explain everything. In therapy she mixes systemic thinking with practical techniques from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Client-Centered Therapy.
That means she looks at how relationships and daily systems shape struggles, helps people notice thoughts and feelings without fighting them, and centers each person’s values and strengths. Work often includes simple coping tools that fit daily life. She has three years of clinical experience and supports autistic adults and people exploring a later-in-life diagnosis.
She also leads autism support groups and addresses issues like abandonment, attachment concerns, body image, caregiver stress, chronic illness, and first responder issues. Sarah offers video, phone, live chat, and text-based messaging sessions. Her goal is to help people feel more grounded and connected while building skills that last beyond therapy.
Focus areas and approaches
Everything Sarah lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.
- Stress, Anxiety
- LGBT
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Self esteem
- Abandonment
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Body image
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dissociation
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- First responder issues
- Gender dysphoria
- Guilt and shame
- Immigration issues
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Sarah names
- Systemic Therapy
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Existential Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Somatic Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
- Internal Family Systems
Naming an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist lists and does not check training records.
Online support
How Sarah blends approaches for online care
Sarah combines systemic thinking with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Client-Centered Therapy to guide online sessions. Systemic Therapy looks at how relationships and daily systems affect feelings and behavior, helping identify patterns that keep problems cycling. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) teaches people to notice thoughts and feelings without getting stuck, then choose actions that match their values. Client-Centered Therapy focuses on creating a compassionate, nonjudgmental space where the person’s own goals lead the work.Finding the right approach is part of the process, and Sarah treats it as a team effort. She listens to what matters to the client, discusses options, and adapts methods based on goals and daily life. That collaborative planning helps tailor sessions to someone’s needs rather than forcing a single method.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video works well for conversations that benefit from visual cues, while phone sessions can fit around a work break or require less bandwidth. Live chat and text messaging are useful for quick check-ins, short skills practice, or when typing feels easier than talking. These options make it simpler to fit therapy into busy days and to keep momentum between sessions.
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Questions people ask
What concerns does Sarah focus on?
She works with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, self-esteem, and LGBT-related concerns. Additional areas include attachment issues, body image, chronic illness, caregiver stress, and more.
How would therapy feel day to day?
Her style is relational and supportive with a steady pace. Sessions focus on listening first, then trying practical tools that fit daily life.
What is Sarah's relevant experience?
She has three years of clinical experience working with adults and leads autism support groups. She supports people exploring later-in-life autism diagnoses.
What credentials and location are listed?
She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) licensed in Illinois and practices from that state.
Can I work with her in other languages or from abroad?
Sessions are offered in English. International clients are not currently accepted.
Which session formats are available?
She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different schedules and needs.
How are session costs handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin if I want to work together?
Use the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule according to therapist availability.
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