Deepening Connections
Welcome!
We are a two-person teletherapy practice offering therapy that is relational, affirming, and centered on your specific needs and experiences. Read on to learn about us!
Sarah Bryan, Ph.D., LPC, ACS
(she/her)
Whatever you bring to this space, I’m glad you’re here.
I am a White, queer (lesbian), disabled cisgender woman who strives to practice therapy from an anti-racist, intersectional feminist perspective. I am also a partner in an interracial relationship, the wife of an immigrant, and I practice ethical non-monogamy. These identities and experiences inform who I am as a therapist, and how I see the counseling process.
I offer individual therapy and couple/partner therapy (including therapy for partners in ethically non-monogamous relationships). I also offer clinical supervision (see below).
I practice from a person-centered perspective that centers you and your experiences and needs. As such, I may use a variety of different therapeutic strategies depending on what is most helpful for you. In general, I am strongly focused on relationships, and often incorporate attachment theory into my work. I have sought additional training in trauma, including training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and in couples therapy (primarily Gottman couples therapy training).
To schedule an appointment, e-mail me at: sarah@deepeningconnections.org
R. Bryan, M.A., LLC
(she/her)
We all desire to feel truly seen, heard, and understood.
This fundamental human desire informs my therapeutic approach, which is at its core humanistic and, because I prefer to engage with clients as the unique individuals they are, I resist applying a one-size-fits-all approach to therapy, preferring instead to tailor my treatment approach to the needs and life experiences of each client as a human being.
I seek to work collaboratively with my clients to deepen insight and self-awareness by exploring their thoughts, feelings, and life experiences to discover the truth of who they are, what they really want, and the paths they may wish to take going forward. I also believe in the cathartic healing accessible to us when we are able to explore and express the essence of ourselves - our private struggles; our inner wounds; our regrets and disappointments; our hopes and triumphs; our joys; and our moments of redemption - in a trusted, safe, and welcoming space.
I work with adults 18+ and specialize in working with women and LGBTQ+ folks. My areas of focus include relationship issues (family, friendship, intimate-partner, work-related); job-related stresses; the college student and immigrant experiences; race, gender, and sexuality concerns.
To schedule an appointment, e-mail me at belinda@deepeningconnections.org.
What We Offer
Individual Therapy
We work with adult clients (age 18+) experiencing depression, anxiety disorders, trauma, life transitions, and many other concerns. We have extensive experience working with members of the LGBTQIA+ community. We are particularly passionate about working with trauma survivors. We use a variety of different treatment modalities, depending on your particular needs, including elements of person-centered therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, trauma-specific therapies such as EMDR, and others. We often use an attachment theory lens to work with relational concerns, focusing on how you attach to others and how you can heal attachment injuries to become more secure with others.
Relationship Counseling
As therapists, we are centered on relationships. What makes people connect with each other? What makes them disconnect? How can we move past what keeps us apart? How can we form warm, loving, bonded relationships, in which everyone feels safe and valued and free to be themselves? We often hear from our clients that they feel alone, that they long for relationships in which they feel really known and accepted and wanted. We want to help people find those connections. Sarah offers relationship counseling for both monogamous and non-monogamous partners, while R focuses on these issues in individual therapy.`
Affirming Approaches
We think the frameworks that we are offered for relationships are often too narrow and constricting. We take an expansive view of human relationships, encouraging you to create intentional relationships that work well for you and the people you love. Not all relationships fit neatly into the heteronormative boxes of spouse/partner, friend, or acquaintance. We often work with families who practice ethical non-monogamy and other forms of family creation that don’t conform to those expectations. At the same time, some relationships do fit in those boxes, and some people flourish within them. Human connections are complex, and we can be as creative as we want with them! Let’s find the relationship shapes that work for you!
We believe that racism, sexism, heterosexism, cissexism, classism, sizeism, ableism, and all other forms of social oppression destroy our well-being and our capacity to connect. Confronting these systems is absolutely necessary for our individual and collective well-being, so we try to integrate this context into everything we do together. We also believe in the power, beauty, resilience, and creativity of people to challenge and tear down these systems.
Clinical Supervision
I (Sarah) am an Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS) through the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC). I offer clinical supervision for Limited License Counselors (LLC’s) in the state of Michigan.
I take a similar approach to supervision that I take to therapy, in that I focus on identifying your individual needs and providing a supportive, affirming atmosphere for growth. I try to make feedback as specific and action-focused as possible, and give you opportunities to apply feedback and practice skills in our supervision sessions, when appropriate.
I am strongly relationship-focused as a therapist, so this influences my way of conceptualizing clients and therapeutic issues. I also emphasize developing competence to work with clients while attending to issues surrounding race, gender, sexual orientation, relational orientation, and other identities. I believe it is important to conceptualize clients as whole people, in all of their individuality, their collective identities, and their background experiences.
Most of my clinical experience has taken place in private practice settings (both group and solo practice), but I also have experience in community mental health and mandated addiction treatment settings. I have worked almost exclusively with adult clients, so I am most prepared to supervise work with adult clients.
In addition to my clinical work, I completed my Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision at Western Michigan University, which allowed me to develop supervisory and teaching skills. I worked with master’s level students as a doctoral teaching assistant for four years, helping students develop beginning counseling skills and techniques. For my work in these classes, I received the Doctoral Teaching Effectiveness Award within my program.