About Sara Ouimette, LMFT in Oakland, CA

Hi, I'm Sara Ouimette (pronounced "we met"), a depth psychotherapist and spiritual grief counselor based in Oakland, California. I enjoy helping people make the internal shifts necessary to feel more joy in their lives. This involves a paradigm shift: a realization that the deeply held fears and beliefs that hold you back are no longer needed. Over time, by shining a spotlight on the experiences that shaped you, and the stories you keep telling yourself that no longer serve you, you can begin to shed unnecessary pain, grieve losses, treat yourself with more compassion, and feel your inherent worth as a precious and unique human being.

My Approach to Psychotherapy

My perspective on healing incorporates all aspects of the self: mental, emotional, physical, social, historical, cultural, and spiritual (or finding meaning). I view people as complex and distinctive multi-dimensional beings who are also greatly impacted by the larger systems of our past and our current family and culture. My work is influenced and enhanced by my own continuous pursuit of self-awareness and personal growth. I engage in weekly consultation with a more senior therapist and am continuously looking to grow and learn as a clinician, and as a human being who cares deeply about other human beings.

Clients describe me as warm, compassionate, interactive, and non-judgmental. My style focuses on developing trust so we can enter into a co-exploration of you and what you want and need.

I’m available to work online with individual adults located anywhere in California.

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“When we are no longer able to change a situation… we are challenged to change ourselves.”

— Victor Frankl

Specialization in Grief and Loss and Life-Threatening Illness

Throughout the course of my own personal and professional growth, I came to see how important the process of grieving is to healing. To live is to lose. If we brace against the pain of loss, we also brace against the joy of loving and living.

Following a traumatic and sudden loss, I began to deeply contemplate death and my own mortality. I decided to pursue training as an end of life doula, so that I might help others embrace death as a perfectly natural and normal part of life, because it is. My work with death has led me to want to work with folks facing life-threatening illness because what might be the most devastating news one can receive can also be the beginning of a journey that leads to profound love, purpose, meaning, empowerment and acceptance.

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Specialization in Cannabis Use and Psychedelic Integration

I’m acutely aware of the cultural misperceptions that exist when it comes to the use of these substances, now often referred to as “medicine” or “plant medicine.” They are powerful indeed, and worthy of great respect, but that doesn’t mean they’re always helpful or always harmful. These substances have both benefits and risks: potential to heal and to harm.

It can be challenging to find healthcare professionals who hold this nuanced perspective, and I believe it’s important for those who have been impacted by the positive and/or negative properties of psychedelics and cannabis to have a safe place to talk about their experiences.

Psychedelic substances are so mighty, and so different, that it also helps to speak with someone informed about their possible effects, as well as after-effects. Especially for those who have had a negative experience in an expanded state, I offer a safe space in which to process and recover from this unique form of traumatization or re-traumatization.