About Sara

Sara Nevius profile

“The world will ask you who you are, and if you don’t know, the world will tell you.”
- C.G. Jung

Looking back, I may have always been a therapist before answering the call to train professionally. As a child, I was curious about people, their stories, journeys, nuances, and intricacies. I loved learning the mysteries of nature and humanity and have a keen sense of the in-between individual and group dynamics we feel and sense but don't see visually.

I was born and raised in New Jersey and completed my undergraduate degree in Washington, D.C. I started my early career in public relations in New York City at Time Inc. Not long after, personal pains and losses helped me recognize I was on a misguided path. I felt confused and unsure of what it meant to trust myself, so I threw myself into service and entered the Peace Corps. Living and acclimating to the culture in Azerbaijan, a country I had never heard of, for two years helped me stretch beyond my upbringing, culture, and preconceived beliefs. My Peace Corps experience fostered a deep appreciation for and ability to see beyond myself, my culture, and my judgments to understand others better, and is the core feature of my orientation as a therapist and human.

I moved to California over a decade ago, drawn to something beyond my awareness; I would later learn it was intuition. I appreciate the openness, expansive variety, and inclusivity that make the West beautiful. While we sometimes get it right and often get it wrong, we always strive to improve. This is the truth about every human's potential. I'm curious about humans, relationships, and helping what heals. There are many ways to get where you want to go, and I am honored to be with my clients on their way there.

Training and Education

I am a psychotherapist and clinical supervisor at a humanistic-oriented non-profit clinic that supports addiction medicine and mental health treatment—rooted in harm reduction, social justice, challenging stigma, and empowering clients to be more responsible for their choices.

During and after graduate school, I worked with adolescents and transitional-age youth in school settings.

I have a Marriage and Family Therapy License in California and have seen clients for the past decade. I obtained my Master of Science in Clinical Psychology from San Francisco State University and my Bachelor of Arts in Communication from American University.

While laws require school, practice hours, and tests for licensure as a therapist, my self-work and personal analysis have expanded my potential in how I show up in each moment for my clients. I am forever learning and committed to ongoing training to deepen my knowledge and develop my techniques for working with clients.

Recent post-graduate training and certificates:

  • Certification of Ketamine-Assisted-Psychotherapy - 2023 - Alchemy Community Therapy, Oakland, California

  • Jungian Oriented Psychotherapy - 2024 - C.G. Jung Institute - San Francisco, California

  • Buddhist Psychology Training - 2025 - Spirit Rock Center, Marin, California

How I work

Psychotherapy and what works for you are highly personal: they require a match in chemistry and personality. Many people get swept up in thinking they need a specific type of therapy. Yet the evidence continuously shows that positive outcomes in treatment will always boil down to your relationship with your therapist: the connection quality. Quality psychotherapy requires safety, nonjudgment, acceptance, deep curiosity, and support. You need a therapist who truly gets you and is willing to examine all sides and facets that make you who you are. 

My style is warm, deeply curious, and sometimes direct. I am focused on getting to know your inner world and the dynamics of your life and relationships that either support or inhibit growth. With precise, compassionate, and attuned listening, I can help you understand your core needs, longings, and fears that get in the way. Together, we can uncover beliefs and patterns that aren't serving you and reorient into a space of alignment so you can get on with living the life you’re meant to live.

Recognizing that every individual is unique, I integrate various therapeutic modalities tailored to each client. My approach is relational/psychodynamic and analytic, drawing from cognitive, narrative, and humanistic perspectives, all viewed through multicultural and trauma-informed lenses. I also utilize parts work, mindfulness, and somatic practices. I am trained in harm-reduction and psychedelic-assisted therapy and can support psychedelic preparation and integration sessions.