About me
Sara Jane Tinker, MS, MSW, LCSW, EMDR, SEP (SE) is a licensed Clinical Psychotherapist and counselor licensed in the state of Tennessee with over twenty-five years' experience, offering trusted, confidential, personalized, and effective research supported interventions. An interesting mix of professional training, skills and life experience adds a unique richness to what I offer clients. Crossroads experiences in my late teens got me onto a path of self-discovery that led to my present career, which I love and consider my true passion. I love to stay up to date and learn new techniques that can help clients, so more recently I trained in EMDR through the Personal Transformation Institute and am enrolled in the two-year Advanced EMDR Certification program approved by EMDRIA. Specifically to Couples Therapy I work through the model of Dr. Sue Johnson and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and I am currently enrolled in the Couples Therapy Certificate Program through The Couples Institute with Dr. Ellyn Bader. Person Centered Self-Psychology, Systems & Family Therapy are my foundational lens while utilizing Somatic Experiencing (SE), EMDR, DBT, CBT, and Attachment work. My counseling style is warm , interactive, and engaging and I believe a trusting, therapeutic relationship is the foundation for the therapy. I treat everyone with respect, dignity, sensitivity, and compassion. I view people as more than stigmatizing labels, diagnoses, past "mistakes" and instead, build on your strengths, your hopes, and the possibilities.
My work with couples is an eclectic approach from a Developmental Perspective of Family Systems Therapy, EFT, Object Relations, and Attachment Theory. The first appointment starts with 1-2 conjoint sessions followed by individual interviews with each partner in order to define the presenting complaints and set goals. Then we decide how often to meet for each session. Couples learn about the developmental stages of marriage, where couples most often get stuck, and we focus primarily in the present. The interventions are geared, in general, to help couples strengthen their relationship with better communication, positive conflict resolution, developing common interest and friendship, as well as a shared purpose and a dream. Each couples' set of problems is unique and some may come looking for short term solution focused therapy and others come with broader, less defined problems. We may need to look at attachment patterns, heal past hurts, correct miscommunications, assess how family of origin patterns influence our relationship today, create more emotional attunement, develop ways to remain connected and engaged in the midst of disagreements, and determine ways to make each person feel safer in the relationship.
Some issues addressed in couples therapy include frequent conflict and arguments, poor communication, emotionally distanced couples on the verge of separation, and other specific areas of conflict such as infidelity, sexual problems, money management issues, parenting, shared time, in-laws, health problems, and changes and transitions in life. Let's see if we are a good fit and if we think we can work together to help you make the changes you want to see in your relationship.
Specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationships
- Trauma, Abuse
- Bipolar disorder
- Depression
Addictions , LGBT , Family conflicts , Grief , Intimacy-related issues , Sleeping disorders , Parenting issues , Anger management , Self esteem , Coping with life changes , Compassion fatigue , Abandonment , Attachment issues , Read more...
Clinical approaches:
Attachment-Based Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT), Existential Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Mindfulness Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Psychodynamic Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, Somatic Therapy, Trauma-Focused Therapy
Years of Experience: 25
Services offered
Messaging
Phone
Video
Licensing
TN LCSW 1046
Reviews
These quotes represent just a few of the many positive reviews that we have received for Sara Tinker. We don't pay anyone to provide their review and they are all made voluntarily. Some people's experience receiving therapy with Regain might be different.
Between her expertise and the resources she shared my marriage has made an absolute 180⁰ turn around and I plan on staying with her for the foreseeable future.
My husband and I are just getting started with Sara, but within just a few sessions we are communicating better than we ever knew how to throughout our entire 18 year relationship. She provides many resources, worksheets & videos that we’ve learned so much from about ourselves & each other. I hope that my husband and I remain with Sara for a long time to come, so we can achieve a full reconciliation of our relationship.
I find Sara Tinker a very easy to relate to and to confide in and talk to she is easy to understand and helpful with my issues. It’s not always easy, seeking out help or a therapist but when you can find someone that is easy to talk to, and that can give you answers that no one else can that actually understands and can provide answers that help you understand different situations it makes a world of difference and can help open your eyes to different things in your life to make things easier. She has been a great help in my life and my relationship. She is very knowledgeable and personable.
Really like her and her flexibility and communication. Perfect for me. Willing to move at my pace and remain open and available. Very experienced and intuitive. This is my first experience with therapy.
Sara is a excellent therapist and a great fit for us. She has significantly helped us as a couple. We still have a lot to work on but we both have high confidence that Sara will continue to be a great resource. Thank you!