- 26 years experience
- Tennessee LCSW
- Attachment focused care
About Sara
Sara Tinker, LCSW, guides people who are worried about relationships, jealousy, and other stressors toward clearer communication and steadier emotions. She speaks plainly and works to make each session feel practical and focused. Her manner is warm and interactive, and she centers the relationship as the starting point for change.
Sara uses what she has learned over 26 years to help with anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, addiction, grief, and self-esteem concerns. She also helps with intimacy-related issues, parenting strain, sleep problems, and the complex effects of chronic illness. Her work includes attention to attachment and abandonment concerns and to relationship patterns such as codependency and communication struggles.
Her background spans clinical settings and independent practice. She trained in social work at the University of Tennessee and has experience with adolescent psychiatric care, community mental health, and victim services. Those settings shaped her calm, practical approach to symptom relief and problem solving.
Sara draws on attachment-based ideas, client-centered skills, dialectical behavior techniques, emotionally-focused methods, and existential questions to tailor sessions to each person's needs. She also brings somatic-informed practices and experience with sandtray work to appropriate cases.
Sessions emphasize skills you can use between meetings, clearer ways to talk about needs, and steps to manage strong emotions. People leave with concrete strategies for communication, boundary setting, and coping with life changes. To begin, follow the Start Therapy flow and complete the short matching questionnaire.
Sara uses what she has learned over 26 years to help with anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, addiction, grief, and self-esteem concerns. She also helps with intimacy-related issues, parenting strain, sleep problems, and the complex effects of chronic illness. Her work includes attention to attachment and abandonment concerns and to relationship patterns such as codependency and communication struggles.
Her background spans clinical settings and independent practice. She trained in social work at the University of Tennessee and has experience with adolescent psychiatric care, community mental health, and victim services. Those settings shaped her calm, practical approach to symptom relief and problem solving.
Sara draws on attachment-based ideas, client-centered skills, dialectical behavior techniques, emotionally-focused methods, and existential questions to tailor sessions to each person's needs. She also brings somatic-informed practices and experience with sandtray work to appropriate cases.
Sessions emphasize skills you can use between meetings, clearer ways to talk about needs, and steps to manage strong emotions. People leave with concrete strategies for communication, boundary setting, and coping with life changes. To begin, follow the Start Therapy flow and complete the short matching questionnaire.
How her approaches translate to online therapy
Sara often draws on attachment-based ideas and dialectical behavior therapy in her work. Attachment-based work looks at patterns in close relationships and helps people change repeating cycles of distance or clinging. Dialectical behavior techniques focus on practical skills for managing intense emotions, improving distress tolerance, and strengthening interpersonal effectiveness.Finding the right approach is a collaborative effort. The therapist will discuss your goals, try out techniques, and adjust the plan based on what helps most. Clients and the therapist make decisions together about which methods to use and when to shift focus.
If you want to pursue online sessions, confirm the current session options before booking since formats are not listed here. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy day, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed. It also lets people continue care across life changes while keeping the focus on skills, communication work, and emotion regulation rather than on logistics.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
AddictionsLGBTFamily conflictsGriefIntimacy-related issuesSleeping disordersParenting issuesAnger managementBipolar disorderCoping with life changesCompassion fatigue
Additional focus areas
AbandonmentAttachment issuesAvoidant personalityBDSM, kink, and alternative sex cultureBlended family issuesBody imageCaregiver issues and stressChronic pain, illness, and disabilityCo-morbidityCodependencyCommitment issuesCommunication problemsControl issuesCoping with natural or human-caused disasterDependent personalityDisruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)DissociationDivorce and separationDomestic violenceDrug and alcohol addictionEating and food-related issuesEmptinessFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsFirst responder issuesForgivenessGender dysphoriaGuilt and shameImpulsivityInfidelityIsolation / lonelinessJealousyLife purposeMidlife crisisVeteran and Armed Forces IssuesMood disordersNarcissismObsessions, compulsions, and OCDPanic disorder and panic attacksParanoiaPersonality disordersPhobiasPostpartum depressionPost-traumatic stressPregnancy and childbirthPrejudice and discriminationProcess addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)Self-harmSelf-loveSex addictionSexual assault and abuseSexualitySocial anxiety and phobiaSomatizationTrichotillomaniaWomen's issuesWorkplace issuesYoung adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
Attachment-Based TherapyClient-Centered TherapyDialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)Existential TherapyEye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)Mindfulness TherapyMotivational InterviewingNarrative TherapyPsychodynamic TherapySolution-Focused TherapySomatic TherapyTrauma-Focused Therapy
Experience
26+ years
Credentials
Tennessee
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she commonly address?
Sara works with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, relationship and intimacy issues, addictions, grief, sleep problems, parenting strain, and related challenges such as abandonment and attachment issues.
What is her therapeutic style like?
Her style is warm, interactive, and practical with an emphasis on building a trusting relationship and teaching skills for day-to-day use.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She brings 26 years of experience in clinical settings and independent practice, including work with adolescent psychiatric care, community mental health, and victim services.
What credentials and location are listed?
She holds a Tennessee LCSW and practices in Tennessee.
Which languages are sessions offered in?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can international clients work with her?
International clients are not currently accepted.
How does payment and cost work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin a session with her?
Click the continue button on this profile, complete the short matching questionnaire, and then schedule according to therapist availability.