Sara Barrientos, LCSW

Sara Barrientos is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 13 years of experience helping people manage stress, anxiety, grief, low self-esteem, and depression. She focuses on practical steps clients can use day to day. Her style is warm and encouraging while staying goal-oriented and clear. She draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people notice and change unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns. She also uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy ideas to support values-driven choices when feelings are hard to control. Sessions aim to be straightforward and focused on what the client wants to achieve. Sara has worked in social work since 2007 and spent many years in programs for older adults with depression and anxiety. That background gives her a lot of experience with aging and geriatric issues, caregiver stress, and coping with life transitions. She also has experience with parenting concerns, relationship struggles, loss, and trauma. In the room she focuses on clear goals and small steps that add up over time. She offers encouragement and accountability while helping clients build skills they can use between sessions. She emphasizes collaboration and respects each person’s values and pace. People who choose her can expect practical tools, simple language, and attention to everyday problems like sleep, anger, money worries, pregnancy and childbirth concerns, and rebuilding after loss. Sara practices in Illinois and holds an IL LCSW credential.

Practical approaches for online therapy and goal work

CBT helps people notice thoughts and behaviors that get in the way and then practice new, more helpful ways of thinking and acting. It is useful for anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and day-to-day coping tasks. ACT, or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, focuses on clarifying what matters to a person and taking meaningful steps toward those values even when uncomfortable feelings are present. It can be helpful for grief, chronic stress, and life transitions.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with the client to decide which methods to try based on goals, needs, and preferences. Sessions can mix techniques so the plan fits the person rather than the other way around.

Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to make therapy fit into daily life. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation, phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited, and messaging or live chat can work for quick check-ins or those who prefer not to be on camera. These options help people maintain regular contact and keep progress moving forward.