Meet Sarah Cupka, LMHC, CAT-LP
Intern Supervisor | Creative Arts Therapist | EMDR Trained Therapist
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a Virginia native and Long Island transplant who has had the opportunity to call several states home. I love traveling, learning about different cultures, reading everything from high fantasy to social history, hiking, and finding peace while tending my native pollinator garden.
In therapy, I bring creativity, curiosity, and an understanding that trauma can affect how we see ourselves, trust others, and engage with the world. My goal is to help you understand the ways your mind learned to protect you, process emotions safely, and build a life that is not controlled by the past.
Working With Sarah
Areas of Focus
- Anxiety and depression
- Trauma and PTSD
- Domestic and intimate partner violence
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Trust, identity, and relationships
- Life transitions and autonomy
Therapeutic Approaches
- IFS- informed therapy
- EMDR therapy
- Trauma-informed care
- Client-centered therapy
- Art therapy
Who May Be a Good Fit
Sarah may be a good fit for children, teens, adults, or families affected by a single traumatic experience, longstanding trauma, or an unsafe situation that is still ongoing. She understands that trauma can occur at any age and can disrupt a person’s identity, relationships, trust, and sense of safety.
You may understand that certain reactions developed to protect you but still struggle to move beyond them. You may find it difficult to trust others, build supportive relationships without fearing judgment, or separate who you are now from what you experienced in the past.
Sarah also works with survivors of domestic violence, intimate partner violence, and sexual assault or abuse. She provides LGBTQIA+-affirming care and supports clients in developing greater autonomy, understanding their emotional responses, and reconnecting with joy in the present.
What Makes Sarah’s Approach Different
Sarah combines traditional counseling with art therapy, offering clients more than one way to communicate and process their experiences. Art therapy can be especially helpful when emotions or memories are difficult to explain with words alone. Artistic experience is never required.
Her own healing journey following intimate partner violence informs her understanding of how learned survival responses can remain active after danger has passed. She recognizes the challenges of rebuilding trust, developing safe support systems, and discovering an identity beyond what happened.
Sarah’s background in art, travel, and cultural exploration shapes her curiosity about how people understand themselves and the world around them. She integrates creativity with EMDR and trauma-informed counseling to help each client find an approach that feels safe, meaningful, and appropriate for their needs.
Experience and Training
Experience With Trauma Across the Lifespan
Sarah works with children, teens, adults, and families affected by trauma, including domestic violence, sexual assault and abuse, pandemic-related experiences, toxic work environments, and other disruptions to safety and trust.
Her clinical training included work with Victims Information Bureau of Suffolk, the Association for Mental Health and Wellness, and Insight Therapeutic Services. These experiences strengthened her ability to support clients with different needs, identities, backgrounds, and ways of expressing themselves.
Training and Credentials
- Licensed Mental Health Counselor
- Creative Arts Therapist, Limited Permit
- EMDR trained
- Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Long Island University Post, 2023
- Master of Arts in Art Therapy and Counseling, Long Island University Post, 2021
- Bachelor of Fine Arts, Prescott College, 2015
Ready to Take the Next Step?
Connect with Sarah to discuss your needs and determine whether working together feels like the right fit.