Our therapists.
Sarah Abbas
Licensed Clinical
Professional Counselor
& Somatic Experiencing Practitioner
Sarah’s work is rooted in the belief that healing happens when we feel safe enough to tune in and reconnect with who we truly are; beyond the expectations, roles, or survival patterns we’ve learned to live by. For over a decade, she has been helping clients navigate the impact of trauma, stress, and emotional overwhelm to find more steadiness, confidence, and ease in their lives. Sarah’s approach integrates somatic practices, parts work and individualized care. The collaborative process allows her to meet you with respect and presence. Her approach is grounded in:
A deep respect for each client’s lived experience
The understanding that trauma lives in the body— not just the mind
The belief that healing is possible, even when it hasn’t felt that way before
A commitment to helping clients move from self-doubt to self-trust
Credentials & Professional Background
Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor + Clinical Supervisor
Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Bachelor of Science in Psychology
Certification in Dr. Bessel Van der Kolk’s Traumatic Stress Studies
3-year Formal Training and Certification in Dr. Peter Levine’s Somatic Experiencing®
Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence (ICADV) Domestic Violence + Sexual Assault Training
Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence (ICADV) Partner Abuse Intervention Training
Additional trainings in: IFS, EFT, mindfulness, psychedelic integration and trauma-informed care
Years of supporting folks in clinical, institutional and private practice settings
Specializing in trauma resolution & nervous system capacity expansion
Janet Heath
Pre-licensed Professional Counselor in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Janet has long held a deep appreciation for health and wellness, naturally drawing her toward roles centered on care, connection, and support. She views her life experiences as her greatest teachers—shaping her passion for wholeness and balance and strengthening her commitment to walking alongside others on their paths toward healing.
Her work began in group settings with Dan Allender, co-founder of the Allender Center, where she became certified in narrative-based trauma care. From there, Janet facilitated trauma-focused and marriage groups, spaces in which she first witnessed the transformative power of healing relationships. These formative experiences ultimately led her to pursue a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, further grounding her desire to support others through meaningful and lasting change.
Through her ongoing study and personal growth, Janet has come to deeply value the interconnectedness of mind, body, and spirit, recognizing how each plays a vital role in overall well-being. This understanding has guided her toward attachment-based, compassion-focused, mindfulness, and somatic approaches to care.
Outside of her professional life, Janet treasures time with her family, including her three adult children, their partners, and a spirited group of “grand-animals.” She finds joy in quiet moments by the lake, listening to the rhythm of the waves, and getting lost in a good book.
Credentials & Professional Background
Licensed Professional Counselor, Expected Fall 2026
Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Expected Fall 2026
Level 1 Certification Narrative Focused Trauma Care, Allender Center
Certified Assessment Facilitator, Save Your Marriage Before It Starts (SYMBIS)
Additional Trainings: Allender Center, Marriage Online Course, Story Sage Courses: Family of Origin and Frameworks and Tools
Sarah Forde
Licensed Professional Counselor & Somatic Therapist
With over a decade of experience in body-centered, mindfulness-based, and trauma-informed practices, Sarah offers a compassionate space for those who are longing to feel more connected to themselves, their bodies, and their lives. Many people who find their way to Sarah are deep feelers and deep thinkers who may appear high-functioning on the outside while feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, self-critical, or stuck in old patterns of survival on the inside.
Sarah approaches therapy as a collaborative process, honoring each person’s unique expression. She invites clients to slow down, listen inward, and gently explore the patterns, parts, sensations, emotions, and nervous system responses that may be asking for attention, care, and integration. This process can help illuminate the protective strategies that have helped them survive, while intentionally opening space for more choice, ease, aliveness, and self-trust.
Her style is warm, relational, intuitive, and experiential, with room for humor and lightness along the way. Sarah helps clients explore how their lived experiences show up in the nervous system, the body, relationships, identity, and sense of self and meaning. Sessions with her may include mindfulness, somatic awareness, parts work, inner child work, nervous system education, attachment exploration, emotional processing, and space for spiritual, existential, or psychedelic integration.
Sarah’s work is informed by a whole-person lens that honors the mind, body, heart, and spirit. She believes that healing is not about forcing change or “fixing” who you are, but about creating enough safety and support to reconnect with the wisdom already within you.
Sarah loves supporting fellow humans who experience:
Anxiety, chronic stress, overwhelm, and nervous system dysregulation
Complex, developmental, and relational trauma
Dissociation, disconnection from the body, and feeling stuck in survival patterns
Attachment wounds, shame, perfectionism, people-pleasing, and self-doubt
Womanhood, motherhood, birth trauma, and holistic women’s health
Chronic illness, Lyme disease, chronic pain, and medical trauma
Grief, loss, life transitions, and identity shifts
Psychedelic integration, spirituality, altered states of consciousness, and meaning-making after expanded or non-ordinary experiences
Credentials & Professional Background
Licensed Professional Counselor
Master of Arts in Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal Counseling from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
Certified Trauma-Informed Yoga & Meditation Teacher
Somatic Experiencing® Training with Francine Kelley — In Process
Somatic EMDR Training with Dr. Arielle Schwartz, Dr. Scott Lyons, and Karee Powers. Sarah is not currently offering EMDR therapy; however, this training has shaped her clinical approach.
Lyme-literate therapist with lived and professional understanding of complex chronic illness, chronic pain, and nervous system healing
Her clinical approach is informed by somatic therapy, mindfulness, polyvagal theory, attachment-based therapy, parts work, inner child work, Gestalt experiential therapy, contemplative practices, neo-shamanic practices, and trauma-informed yoga