Sarah Carpenter, Ph.D.

Welcome, I am Dr. Sarah Carpenter, Co-Owner of Psychology House and Licensed Psychologist. I co-own this practice with my husband, an exceptionally ambitious, business-minded entrepreneur with a heart for helping the community. We decided to join forces and create a psychology practice that embraces comfort, safety, and connection. A place where we hope you can feel at home.

I enjoy working with adults of all ages who are experiencing a variety of life difficulties and mental health concerns. While I am highly trained to treat an array of psychological conditions, I have a passion for and found my niche working with those struggling with addiction, trauma, and relationship issues. I offer individual, couples, and family therapy. I also facilitate a biweekly men’s support group.

In terms of my style and personality, I greatly respect individual differences and am best known for taking a nonjudgmental and open-minded stance when getting to know you and what you have been through. I would describe myself as warm, holistic, humorous, empowering, and challenging. I strongly value the therapeutic relationship and the way it can be used to bring about positive change. There are many ways to describe the relationship between client and therapist, and I have always been fond of recognizing it as “fellow travelers.” We are on the same journey towards your mental and emotional wellness, and it is a journey where we both grow and learn. I truly believe I am the person and psychologist that I am today because of my clients and the transformative work we do. At the core of my treatment approach lies the belief that mental health issues stem from a lack of secure connection with others. I believe the therapeutic relationship is a great place to start understanding how you relate to yourself and those around you. It can also offer a safe space to explore yourself in a more meaningful way.

In addition to focusing on the processes that unfold within the therapeutic relationship, I adopt an integrative style and often draw upon evidence-based interventions designed to change the way you view yourself, others, and the world. Such interventions may explore your early life experiences to help you understand your present psychological issues. I seek to help you fill in the gaps of your life to change the way you think, feel, and behave in a more cohesive kind of way. In doing so, you learn how to express your avoided emotions in ways that are healing and corrective. I can also incorporate a more cognitive approach to treatment, to include focusing on identifying and challenging unhelpful beliefs and thoughts that keep you stuck in problematic ways of thinking and acting. Additionally, I offer skills training to enhance mindfulness, communication within relationships, and the ability to tolerate distress and intense emotions. I will ensure that my treatment approach is flexible and tailored to your individual needs and specific concerns, as it is important that I meet you where you are at in your healing process.

I commonly work with clients who struggle with coping with life’s stressors and seek to learn more healthy and adaptive ways to improve their quality of life. In doing so, people become stronger and experience more fully what they value in their lives. I seek to bring you closer to what brings you meaning and purpose, which often means reconnecting with yourself and other people. Using the approach and interventions mentioned above, we will collaborate on a treatment plan that consists of goals aligned with how you envision your mental, emotional, and physical well-being.

ADDICTION SPECIALIZATION

I specialize in the assessment and treatment of addiction. This includes psychological and/or physical dependence on the use of drugs/substances, activities, or behaviors, despite the consequences. Living a life consumed by addiction can be painful and feel hopeless at times. I have helped many individuals who genuinely believed they were incapable of achieving abstinence and regaining control of their lives. I have a deep respect and appreciation for those struggling with addiction and substance abuse issues, and if you are motivated and ready to take action towards recovery, I can help you take those challenging, yet rewarding, steps.

If substance abuse is your addiction, I will guide you through several steps towards your preferred goal – whether that be a total abstinence (stopping the use of substances completely) or harm reduction (reducing the amount of substance use gradually) approach. Those steps, which vary by individual, can include increasing motivation and readiness to change, managing cravings and temptations to use, developing a relapse prevention plan, improving self-efficacy beliefs, enhancing relationships, and finding a greater purpose in life. If you happen to be a supporter of the 12-step program, I will gladly collaborate with you to incorporate that as part of your treatment. I strive to provide an empathic approach to understand your mental health conditions (e.g., depression, anxiety, or more serious concerns), as I believe many choose to self-medicate to treat their emotional and psychological pain. As such, I seek to treat the core issues at hand, as well as substance abuse behaviors. If preferred or recommended, engaging your spouse/significant other in your substance abuse treatment process can also be a highly effective treatment option. I also specialize in behavioral addiction, which refers to a variety of excessive behaviors such as gambling, online/media use, sex, exercise, etc. Many of the approaches used for the treatment of substance abuse apply to the treatment of behavioral addiction.

It is common for substance abuse problems and trauma to go hand in hand. I aim to integrate treatments so that the two can be treated together at the same time. It is important to note that the treatment of both issues can be quite challenging; however, I seek to provide the support and tools necessary to increase your success. I previously mentioned the importance (and potential necessity) of exploring core issues underlying substance abuse problems, and there often lies a history of trauma. I follow a stepwise approach to treating both substance abuse and trauma issues, to include (1) establishing safety/stabilization, (2) processing the trauma, and (3) community/relationship reintegration.

TRAUMA SPECIALIZATION

I specialize in the assessment and treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other trauma- and stressor-related disorders. I am a certified Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) provider and also offer Prolonged Exposure Therapy. CPT and Prolonged Exposure are first line, evidence-based psychotherapies for the treatment of PTSD and trauma-related issues. Processing and approaching one’s most feared memories and symptoms can be a very difficult task; therefore, I strive to create a safe, nonjudgmental therapeutic environment to help you work through your emotional and psychological pain, as you deserve to regain control of your life.

A LITTLE ABOUT ME

I earned a doctorate (Ph.D.) in Counseling Psychology from Florida State University. I have most recently worked in private practice for several years. Prior to private practice, I worked in a variety of hospital settings, having acquired most of my clinical training at VA Medical Centers in mental health clinics, inpatient/psychiatric units, and substance abuse treatment programs. I also trained for six months in an OCD/Anxiety disorders treatment program.

On a personal note, my husband, daughter, and I are Florida natives and have found our home in Saint Petersburg. We love this area, as it is perfect for our lifestyle. I am in or near the water as often as I can be, with freediving being one of my favorite activities. Water is definitely my happy place. I absolutely love being a mom, despite its challenges! In addition to family, travelling and exploring our world lies at the heart of what brings my life meaning and purpose.