Alaina Sandau, MA (she/her)
Hi, I’m Alaina. I work with kids (4+) and big kids (18+) in individual therapy. My modalities include ACT, somatic therapy, IFS, and play therapy, but underlying whatever work we do together is a strong sense of curiosity, gentleness, and respect. You are the expert on your own life, and therapy can give you an extra set of eyes to help you build a fuller, more compassionate understanding of yourself and your next steps.
Maybe you’ve got this funny feeling you can’t quite name that follows you all around. Maybe you’re struggling to feel anything at all. Maybe you or your child feel so much all the time and it’s getting harder to keep holding it all by yourself.
With me, therapy is an ongoing process of taking away the alone. Clients navigating change, loss, adoption/foster care, cognitive or developmental challenges, LGBTQ+ identities, or religious trauma can find support in my office. Kids and teens struggling with transition, loss, anxiety, aggression, depression, and social challenges can find a place to be seen and safe as they begin to piece together their world and their role in it.
For kids and teens who feel overwhelmed by trauma or persistent mental health struggles, my background in residential programs helps me understand the intensity of those experiences and offer tools to make things feel more manageable.
Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with friends and family, searching for the world’s greatest vegan pad Thai, and playing cozy video games.
Specialties: adoption, loss, LGBTQIA+, cognitive and developmental disabilities, neurodivergence, burnout, depression, anxiety
