Sarah Cardenas, Counseling Associate
Not taking new clients.
¡Es un placer presentarme! I provide cultural centered sex therapy and psychotherapy to the Afro-Indigenous-Latinx, Black, Indigenous, other People of Color, and LGBTQ+ community. I can support you in exploring and creating a fulfilling sex life, improving your communication of everyday and sexual needs/wants, resolving shame about nonsexual/sexual interests/behaviors, recovering from sexual harm or infidelity and strengthening emotional and physical intimacy. I also offer psychotherapy to explore and strengthen identity, navigate relational and family issues, process and resolve immigrants experiences, work through irrational thought patterns, manage life transitions and adjusting to "adulting", deal with anxiety, depression, anger management, identity, grief and bereavement, trauma, and relationship and intimacy concerns.
I am the daughter of two immigrants, my parents came from different parts of the world, yet shared a commonality in the stigma pertaining to mental health, as well as faulty assumptions related to individuality, partnerships and intimacy. As a Latina who supports social justice, I help people explore and embrace sexuality, body positivity, positive identity and individuality, form of healthy attachments and self-advocate for their needs. I provide virtual mental health counseling services in English and Spanish.
I strive to create a safe, warm and supportive environment, where I use a strength-based perspective, cognitive-behavioral, art therapy, motivational interviewing, sex therapy, multicultural therapy, humanistic, psychodynamic, and somatic modalities as well as mindfulness and cognitive behavioral strategies to support people. I utilize a decolonial, feminist and multicultural approach of knowledge in my therapy work. I support individual and collective approaches which take into account each person's unique spiritual, cultural, and creative practices, beliefs, goals, values and personality.
I work with clients to identify skills and strategies to help them develop a more holistic sense of themselves; accept the things they can't change; and gain proper control over their lives. I’m passionate about helping people gain insight, awareness, agency, authenticity and cognitive and behavioral skills toward improved psychological and overall well being. I work closely with each individual to develop a personalized therapy and treatment plan. My approach is characterized as collaborative, interactive, compassionate, respectful and genuine, where individuals can find autonomy, compassion and authenticity in and for themselves and make meaningful change.
I am providing mental health counseling under the clinical supervision of Barbara Adika, a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (MD) and Licensed professional Counselor (Washington, DC).