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                             Welcome

 

At Island Waters Counseling, therapy is a safe space to slow down, feel supported, and work through life’s harder moments. Whether you’re navigating trauma, anxiety, big life changes, or the emotional ups and downs of pregnancy and parenthood, you don’t have to do it alone. Our work together is collaborative, compassionate, and centered on what feels most helpful for you.

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Dr. Sarah Thiessen, Ph.D., LMHC, LCPC, PMH-C

Sarah is an EMDR Certified Therapist who specializes in treating trauma and PTSD, relationship abuse recovery, traumatic grief, childhood attachment wounds and abuse, sexual assault and abuse, and perinatal mental health issues such as birth trauma, loss, and infertility. She works with clients of all ages and brings a warm, grounded presence to therapy, creating a space where you can feel safe, understood, and genuinely cared for.

 

Therapy Approach

Sarah primarily uses EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) through an Internal Family Systems (IFS) informed lens, while also incorporating tools from cognitive behavioral therapy. This means therapy isn’t just about talking things through. It’s about helping your nervous system process experiences so they don’t keep showing up in the present. Sessions are tailored to you, your pace, and what you’re ready to work on. Sarah also draws from somatic techniques, ego state therapy, mindfulness, inner child work, narrative therapy, attachment theory, and skills from DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy).

Perinatal Mental Health

 

Supporting women during pregnancy, postpartum, and the parenting years is a core focus of Sarah’s work. As a PMH-C, she has specialized training in perinatal mental health including infertility, birth trauma and pregnancy loss. Whether you’re experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma, or simply feeling overwhelmed by the transition into parenthood, you deserve support that truly understands this season of life. As a mother of five, Sarah has lived experience of motherhood and its joys and stressors. 
 

 

Credentials & Availability

Sarah holds a Ph.D. in Counseling and is licensed in Florida, Maryland, and South Carolina. She offers telehealth services to residents of these states, making therapy accessible and flexible for your schedule. Intensives can be booked in person or virtual. Sarah feels deeply honored to walk alongside clients as they heal, grow, and reconnect with themselves. 

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How we can help

Trauma Therapy

Your story matters—and it’s never too late to heal from painful things you experienced. Maybe you’ve addressed these events in detail in talk therapy, yet your body and nervous system still react as if the trauma is happening all over again. Using EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), we help you process painful memories so you can move past the past and live the life you want. 

 

Grounded in neuroscience, EMDR works with the body’s natural ability to process and resolve distressing experiences. Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR does not require hours of discussing the trauma, yet it often provides faster relief from the emotional weight of past events. Clients leave EMDR feeling empowered and more in control of their lives, rather than defined or limited by painful experiences.

 

We blend EMDR with Internal Family Systems, helping you get to know parts of yourself, such as the worrier, the people pleaser, and the perfectionist and understand them as parts just trying to protect you. When you understand and care for your parts, you can heal old wounds, calm inner conflict, and feel more like yourself. Blending EMDR and IFS helps you heal trauma in two ways: EMDR processes painful memories so they lose their emotional charge, while IFS helps you understand and care for the different parts of yourself that show up around that pain. Together, they create a gentle, powerful approach used to treat multiple forms of trauma.

  • Accidents & Injuries – car crashes, falls, or serious accidents

  • Natural Disasters – floods, hurricanes, fires, or earthquakes

  • Violence & Assault – physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, mugging, sexual assault, school violence

  • Childhood Trauma – neglect, abuse, bullying, or family separation

  • Medical Trauma – serious illness, surgery, hospitalization, or invasive procedures

  • Birth & Pregnancy Trauma – difficult deliveries, NICU stays, pregnancy loss

  • Loss & Grief – sudden death, miscarriage, stillbirth, or traumatic loss of a loved one

  • Combat & First Responder Trauma – military experiences, emergency responders, or exposure to life-threatening events

  • Relationship Trauma – domestic violence, betrayal, or emotionally abusive relationships

  • Complex & Repeated Trauma – prolonged abuse, chronic stress, or cumulative adverse experiences

  • Secondary or Vicarious Trauma – trauma experienced indirectly, often through supporting others in distress

  • Attachment Wounds – early relational trauma or disruptions in bonding that affect adult relationships and parenting

  • Spiritual Abuse – trauma caused by manipulation, coercion, or harm within religious or spiritual contexts

  • Chronic Pain & Illness-Related Trauma – ongoing pain or chronic medical conditions that create stress, anxiety, or trauma reactions

 

Textured Wall Surface

When insight hasn't been enough

Children
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Children and Adolescents

Sarah has specialized training in both directive and non-directive play therapy, as well as sand tray and mindfulness-based techniques, allowing children to express themselves in ways that feel natural and safe. She earned her EMDR Child Specialist Certificate through the Agate Institute and believes deeply in the healing power of play as a pathway to emotional growth and resilience. Sarah integrates play techniques with EMDR because children heal through imagination. A key part of Sarah’s work includes partnering with parents and caregivers, helping them feel confident and supported as they nurture their children’s emotional well-being. Using Theraplay-informed approaches, she focuses on strengthening parent–child relationships because parents truly know their children best. Sarah is especially passionate about supporting single parents and blended families, helping them understand family patterns, strengthen connections, and create healthier dynamics. She also emphasizes the importance of parental self-care, recognizing that caring for yourself is an essential part of caring for your family.

EMDR Intensives

Are you longing to dive deeper and desire more progress than traditional weekly sessions offer? Have you experienced a recent traumatic event? Do you want to set aside time to focus on you and your healing? An EMDR Intensive could be a good fit for you. Instead of spreading the work out over many weeks or months, intensives allow for focused, uninterrupted time dedicated to healing and processing. Sarah incorporates Internal Family Systems in an integrated trauma treatment model throughout your intensive treatment.

 

Intensives may be scheduled in-person in Sanibel, Florida or virtual and as half-day or full-day sessions and take place over one to three days, depending on your goals, history, and capacity. Before moving forward, a comprehensive assessment is completed to determine whether an EMDR intensive is the best fit for you, or if ongoing weekly therapy would better support your needs and nervous system.

If an intensive is right for you, you’ll be encouraged to intentionally set this time aside as a personal retreat for healing. Between EMDR processing sessions, space is built in for rest, grounding, and reflection allowing your mind and body time to integrate the work. The Southwest Florida area offers many opportunities for peaceful rest and relaxation, making it easier to step away from daily demands and focus fully on yourself and your healing journey. See fees below.

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Dedicated time
for you

Intensives
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Feeling stuck and overwhelmed?

Relationships and Life Transitions

At different points in life, stress, relationship struggles, and big transitions can leave you feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure of your next step. Counseling can be a place to reconnect with hope, gain clarity, and begin again with greater self-awareness and compassion. When you’ve been through trauma, even small things can feel exhausting or triggering, and it can seem like you’re constantly in survival mode battling lasting emotional wounds and feeling disconnected from yourself.

Our work will help you explore the connections between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, helping you gently face past experiences that may still be holding you back. Together, you’ll learn how to quiet the critical inner voice, challenge beliefs that no longer serve you, and create space for healthier patterns and new perspectives.

Relationships

Perinatal Mental Health

Pregnancy and parenthood are often portrayed as beautiful, joyful experiences, but in reality they can also be isolating, challenging, difficult, and lonely. We provide specialized, nurturing support for women navigating the emotional challenges that can come with fertility, pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. 

 

Areas of support include:

  • Infertility support – coping with the emotional impact of infertility, fertility treatments, uncertainty, and the stress of trying to conceive

  • Pregnancy Support – navigating anxiety, fear of childbirth, emotional changes, and high risk pregnancy

  • Postpartum Mental Health – support for postpartum depression, anxiety, intrusive thoughts, overwhelm, and past trauma surfaced from pregnancy or childbirth

  • Birth Trauma Processing – healing from difficult or traumatic birth experiences, feeling unsafe during birth, emergency deliveries, or medical complications

  • NICU Support – emotional support for parents navigating a NICU stay, medical uncertainty, stress, and challenges during hospitalization

  • Motherhood Identity & Adjustment – exploring identity changes, emotional shifts, and the transition into motherhood

  • Pregnancy & Infant Loss – compassionate support for miscarriage, stillbirth, termination for medical reasons, and pregnancy after loss

  • Relationship Support in Parenthood – navigating communication, intimacy changes, and new family roles after a baby arrives

 

Therapy is trauma-informed and tailored to your unique needs and experiences, using gentle, evidence-based approaches — including EMDR, CBT, somatic techniques, and IFS-informed care to support healing, connection, and emotional well-being at your own pace. We want you to feel supported, understood, and not alone.

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Motherhood is beautiful and hard - you deserve support.




Reach out today - you don't have to navigate motherhood alone.
KAP

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Ketamine Assisted EMDR

Introducing Hannah Thiessen, MSW, LCSW-C, KAP/EMDR

Maryland License # 30198

Hannah is available self-pay only and offers Ketamine Assisted EMDR for Maryland clients only. Please inquire here for more information about how Ketamine and EMDR work together. 

 

Take the first step towards healing today.

   Insurance and Fees

Sarah accepts a variety of insurances including Aetna and United and offers

superbill support for out-of-network benefits.

 
Individual Therapy

                                                         

60 minute sessions - $150

                                                     

80 minute EMDR sessions - $200

                                                           

EMDR Intensives

                                                                 

Half-day  - $500

                                                                 

 Full-day  - $1000

All fees are in accordance with the No Surprises Act and outlined in your Good Faith Estimate.

Maryland 

Florida 

Call or text Sarah at (410)292-9803

Sarah is licensed in Florida (MH-21376), Maryland (LC9546), and South Carolina (TLC2279PC), offering telehealth services to residents of these states and both in-person and virtual EMDR intensives in Sanibel, Florida.

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