Meet Sandra Skinner, PhD., LMSW
Clinician | Attachment-Focused Trauma Therapist
Hi, I’m Sandra. I work with children, adolescents, parents, and adults who want to understand and heal the roots of emotional and relational distress. My approach is grounded in attachment theory, trauma-informed care, and EMDR therapy.
I believe many current struggles are shaped by past experiences, relationships, environments, and nervous-system responses. Together, we can explore these connections and work toward greater emotional safety, self-understanding, and healthier relationships.
Working With Sandra
Areas of Focus
- Attachment trauma
- Trauma and PTSD
- Anxiety and depression
- Grief and loss
- Parent-child disconnection
- Emotional and behavioral concerns
Therapeutic Approaches
- EMDR therapy
- Attachment-based therapy
- Trauma-informed care
- Relational therapy
- Nervous-system regulation
Who May Be a Good Fit
Sandra may be a good fit if past experiences continue to affect your emotions, relationships, sense of self, or ability to feel safe and connected. You may notice patterns that repeat across relationships or find that certain emotional reactions feel difficult to understand or change.
She particularly enjoys working with parents who feel overwhelmed or disconnected from their child. Sandra helps families consider what may be happening beneath behaviors and how greater emotional safety, connection, and trust can be developed.
Sandra also works with children, teens, and adults experiencing symptoms associated with anxiety, depression, ADHD, trauma, or grief. She considers how development, attachment, environment, and past experiences may contribute to or intensify these concerns without viewing symptoms as personal failure.
What Makes Sandra’s Approach Different
Sandra brings together advanced training in psychology, social work, attachment, and trauma treatment. Her background allows her to consider emotional concerns from developmental, relational, environmental, and nervous-system perspectives.
She also has experience helping develop a school-based social-emotional learning program for middle school students in one of the country’s largest school districts. Through this work, she saw how anxiety, disengagement, and behavioral concerns may be connected to trauma, unmet emotional needs, or environments that have not provided consistent safety.
Sandra helps clients work toward becoming a secure base and safe haven for themselves and the people they care about. Her style is warm, thoughtful, and collaborative, with a focus on meaningful healing rather than symptom management alone.
Experience and Training
Experience With Children, Families, and Schools
Sandra’s experience in school-based social-emotional learning gives her a strong understanding of how children’s behavior, academic engagement, relationships, and emotional well-being affect one another.
She uses this background when working with children, adolescents, and parents to look beyond surface-level behaviors and better understand the developmental, relational, and environmental factors that may be contributing to distress.
Training and Credentials
- Licensed Master Social Worker
- EMDR trained
- Master of Social Work, Stony Brook University, 2025
- PhD in Psychology, Stony Brook University, 2014
- Master of Arts in Psychology, Stony Brook University, 2010
- Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Stony Brook University, 2008
Ready to Take the Next Step?
Connect with Sandra to discuss your needs and determine whether working together feels like the right fit.