Sarah Lopez, MA, PLPC
Areas of Expertise: children and adolescents, trauma/PTSD, depression, anxiety, ADHD, mood disorders, Borderline Personality Disorder, self-injury, chronic suicidal ideation, LGBTQIA+ concerns, BIPOC concerns, couples, family therapy, and addictions
Treatments Provided: Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT); Narrative Therapy
Education: MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (Lindenwood University, 2022); BS in Psychology (Columbia College of Missouri, 2019)
Accepted Insurance Plans: In-network with UHC/UMR/Optum and UHC-Community, and Home State Health/Cenpatico; pending with straight Medicaid . Out-of-Network with all other insurance panels (superbill can be provided).Private pay fee: $90 per individual session (sliding scale sometimes offered); rate will increase to $100 per session in January 2025.
Sarah Lopez, PLPC (she/her) works with clients with a broad range of cultural backgrounds and clinical concerns; she holds a special place in her heart for working with teenagers and young adults, finding joy and fulfillment in guiding them through their unique challenges. Sarah's therapy philosophy prioritizes understanding the diverse experiences of her clients and building a positive and trusting rapport with them. She is deeply committed to creating a therapeutic environment where clients feel completely safe, validated, and empowered to join in their treatment journey. She is a Provisional Licensed Professional Counselor under the supervision of Upaya's Director, Dr. Amanda Bittner, pursuing full state licensure in Missouri. She works with children and adolescents age 8 and older, adults, and older adults doing individual, couples, group, and family therapy.
Sarah worked in the St. Louis public school system for four years including during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her commitment to serving school-aged children in a therapeutic way originated from this experience, and her master's and post-master's training experiences have intentionally focused on a wider range of client demographics. As she's developed her professional identity, Sarah has developed a special focus on post-traumatic stress. She is a trauma-informed clinician and is exploring several evidence-based treatments for PTSD. Sarah is also on the DBT Team at Upaya and is pursuing core certification by the state of Missouri's Department of Mental Health.
Outside of her professional life, Sarah is a passionate advocate for rescue animals, believing in their therapeutic and healing power. She also has a strong belief in the transformative and supportive role of music in mental health. Please reach out if you are interested in doing therapy with Sarah by contacting us below or calling 314-252-0675.