Sarah DeBoer, MAMFT, LPC

*** Sarah is no longer seeing clients.

I grew up in Delaware and moved to Virginia to attend college. My journey to becoming a counselor began at James Madison University while I was working with and hearing the struggles of youth in the church I was attending. My wish was to not only hear about these struggles but to help – to speak truth and hope and give them the skills to bring about desired growth in their lives. I decided to attend Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi in 2004. It was there that I earned a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy and Counseling and gained a comprehensive understanding of Family Systems Theory. Basically, this means we all grew up in some kind of family where we learned ways of living in the world and relating to others; some good, some not good.

I decided to return to and settle in “the valley” in 2007.  The beauty of the mountains captured me while I was a JMU student and lingered in my heart while I was away. I was so excited not only to come back with my degree, but also with my husband, James! We’ve been married 14 years and are raising our boy/girl twins, Isaac and Harper and our daughter Katherine.

I have worked with college students, families, and men and women tackling a range of issues. Those included anxiety, depression, grief/loss, co-dependency, sexual abuse, stage of life issues, identity issues, family of origin issues, behavioral problems, shame, parenting skills, and couples’ communication. I’ve led premarital classes on the topic of communication and participated in a parenting conference leading a workshop on creating an emotionally safe home. I am a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors and certified in the premarital assessment SYMBIS and Prepare/Enrich.

I am not seeing clients, but still work as an advisor for the staff at Journey and serve on the board.  I am also working at Covenant Presbyterian Church as the Associate Director for Women’s Ministries.

I can be contacted at sarahdeboer5@gmail.com.