Licensed art therapist, Clinical Coordinator
Sarah Maynard, LCAT (she/her)
- complex trauma
- life transitions
- neurodivergence
- anxiety & depression
Openings currently limited @ Pittsford. Please contact for availability.
In-network with MVP. $125 self-pay rate.
It’s hard to be your authentic self when everyone around you invalidates your thoughts, feelings, and experiences, questioning or telling you what to do and how to feel. To keep the peace you’ve probably tried all sorts of ways to please these people, yet you never really seem to gain their acceptance for more than a few moments. You still feel judged and now, in addition, you’re feeling more and more distant from who you really are, assuming you even know what that is anymore. Self-doubt and self-criticism are developed over time, as we listen to the world around us tell us we aren’t good enough. Despite this, I believe we really do have the answers inside of us, if only we’d stop seeking external permission and acceptance from others and focus on what our own heart and mind are saying. I can help you to feel more empowered, to express yourself more authentically, and to be kinder and gentler to yourself all while living a value-focused life.
In the therapeutic setting, I believe strongly in the mindset of art-as-therapy, that the act of creating itself is therapeutic. I employ a combination of person-centered and CBT approaches within the context of art making and talking, in order to help you tap into what you already know but might be fearful or anxious to explore. Finding your own answers and solutions to challenges will ultimately result in the most deep and enduring healing. I also know that this takes practice, and I make an effort to truly listen to you, helping you feel heard and understood. I want you to feel valid, and while I am not the ultimate authority on how you see yourself, I can help you see what it looks like to feel accepted for who you truly are at any given moment, no matter the challenges you have faced. I work to meet you where you are in your journey, teach you ways to cope in the moment, and begin to gently move forward and explore your deeper self, so that you can live more authentically and meaningfully.
“I wish it need not have happened in my time, said Frodo. So do I, said Gandalf, and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. ”
J.R.R. Tolkien
Get To Know Sarah!
Education & Training
I am a licensed creative arts therapist in the state of NY and have been practicing since 2016. My undergraduate degree is from Alfred University, and my masters degree was completed at Nazareth College.
I’ve completed various trainings with a primary focus on trauma-informed care, such as TF-CBT (Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) and PS-R (Practice Self-Regulation). From these trainings I’ve picked up evidenced-based and neuroscience-backed practices that I now use with my clients, including mindfulness and grounding strategies. I have also been trained in ACT (Acceptance and Committment Therapy) and this forms the backbone of my work with clients, which is heavily based in gaining self-compassion and living according to your own values.
client focus
I work with a wide variety of clients, including teens and adults. I have seen clients from a variety of working backgrounds, including people who work in the medical field, education/teaching, therapists, people who are between jobs or on disability, and people who are entrepreneurs. Many of my clients come from a background where they’ve struggled with family relationships, particularly their parents. A common thread that seems present across all these variations seems to be that everyone I see is a human being trying their best to live their life in a way that feels satisfying, while trying to cope with the seemingly insane backdrop of the state of human existence in general. Life is hard, and my clients tend to be people who feel that deeply, and want to figure out how to persevere in spite of that challenge.
Therapeutic approaches
While the core of my work is based in a person centered approach, in practice the identifiable approach I use most is ACT (Acceptance and Committment Therapy). I strongly believe that a huge factor in life satisfaction comes from living in accordance with your own values (we often get sidetracked and caught up in the values of others due to input from outside forces). I work with people to ‘reset’ their focus and hone in on what is important to them and how to honor that for themselves.
areas of specialization
I focus mainly on trauma work. I tend to be in the camp of ‘everything is trauma’. As in, the various symptoms someone is experiencing often stem from trauma. Usually no matter what ‘diagnosis’ someone comes in with, there is likely an element of trauma that led to the symptoms the individual is experiencing.
What does a session with you look like?
Sessions with me tend to be very open. I start by trying to get to know my clients, as I feel the only way I can help you be more ‘you’ is by figuring out who you are. I believe the world is a hard place that reeks of invalidation and judgement, and I like to create an environment that is safe from that, so you can safely learn to validate yourself and find self-acceptance.
Don’t worry, I know that sounds like a lot, I’ll model that for you so you can learn what it looks like. I use a lot of open-ended directives in my sessions, though there will likely be some guided structure you can start from. For example, I might have you do a mandala as a warm up in order to release your emotions, but how to navigate creating after the prompt is up to you.
My personality is a combo of light and snarky – I laugh a lot as I tend to find humor even in the dark things – it helps me feel a sense of hope and resilience and I try to offer that to my clients as well. Though I can also be very serious if that’s what the occasion calls for. Depends on what the session content is that day.
How do I know if we're a good fit?
I feel it takes at least a year to see significant results in therapy, but sometimes even longer. The stressors and traumas people have been experiencing are often lifelong or have occurred for many years, and we can’t heal from that overnight. I believe in doing the deep work rather than covering things with a bandaid. Signs you’re making progress might include things like feeling a bit less hassled by the expectations of others, giving yourself more credit, and fewer self-deprecating statements. You’ll feel gentler with yourself and when harshness is directed at you from an outside source, you’ll feel less impacted by it.
