Sara SaigerLCSW, CSW

Sara Saiger is a licensed clinical social worker who focuses on practical, evidence-based help for adults. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and a Certified Social Worker (CSW) with 15 years of experience. Sara works with people facing mood and substance concerns and helps them move toward clearer days.

She brings long experience from crisis care and psychiatric settings. For five years she served as a clinical supervisor at a crisis center and before that worked more than a decade as a behavioral health therapist in inpatient psychiatric care. Early in her career she was a clinical care coordinator and therapist in an inpatient substance use program.

Sara prefers a person-centered, solution-focused style. She also uses motivational interviewing to help people find their own reasons and plans for change. Sessions aim to build trust first, then focus on practical steps the person can try between meetings.

Her areas of focus include addictions, depression, bipolar mood challenges, parenting concerns, grief, relationship strain, anger, self-esteem, and coping with life changes. Additional topics she addresses include fertility and postpartum depression, communication problems, codependency, and aging-related issues.

Sara trained at the University of Buffalo for her bachelor degree in Health and Human Services and earned a Master of Social Work from the University of South Florida in 2005. She describes her approach as empathetic, pragmatic, and nonjudgmental, and she emphasizes realistic goals and steady progress.

How evidence-based methods translate to online care

Person-centered work focuses on the person’s goals and values, helping them set realistic steps and priorities. This approach helps with a wide range of issues from mood concerns to parenting stress by centering what matters most to the individual.

Solution-focused work emphasizes small, concrete changes. Sessions often identify a few practical moves to try between meetings so progress can be measured and adjusted over time.

Motivational interviewing helps people resolve mixed feelings about change. It uses open questions and reflective listening to strengthen a person’s own motivation for making shifts in substance use, mood management, or other behaviors.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will discuss goals, past experiences, and preferences together, and then adapt methods as needed. That way treatment stays relevant to the person’s life and priorities.

Session logistics vary by clinician and are not specified in the biography, so confirm current session options before booking. In general, online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule, reduce travel time, and allow brief check-ins when needed. Some formats can also be better for shorter conversations or for people who prefer not to use video, so practical needs can guide the choice.