Sara ZappaLicensed Master Social Worker

Sara Zappa, Licensed Master Social Worker, 109536 is practicing under the supervision of Dr. Leslie Faerstein (New York, LCSW, PR015207) at Resilience Lab.

Please, note: A clinician listed as being “clinically supervised” is completing clinical hours toward their licensure. They have one or more fully licensed clinical supervisors that often have special training to become supervisors. They consult with their supervisor(s) on all of their cases, which means that, when working with them, you are getting the time and expertise of multiple therapists in your treatment.

While navigating your inner world, interpersonal relationships, and external ups and downs, a sounding board can lead to insight. My goal is to create a space for you to achieve greater self awareness and implement skills to strengthen connections with your family, friends, community, and most importantly, yourself. I facilitate a space for you to unpack your feelings, set healthy boundaries, learn to manage anger, and use coping skills to release your emotions. My vision is to normalize whatever it is you’re going through so you can release unresolved emotions, heal your wounds from the root, and create fulfilling, nourishing relationships in all areas of your life. We’ll start by using our relationship to build a strong foundation with each other. From there, we’ll practice the communication, emotional regulation, and coping skills needed to foster joyful, nourishing connections with the people around you. Ultimately, my vision is for you to feel good about who you are and how you relate to others.

I’ve been interested in psychology from a very young age. While I was growing up, I was always the person my friends and loved ones turned to when they needed a confidante. I’m always curious about other people and love to help. Now that I’m a therapist, it’s an honor to hold a space for my clients where they can process and heal, find tools to cope with their stressors, and see their situation from a different perspective.

I create a reflective, grounding, and warm space for each client. Throughout our work together, I help clients accept where they are, without judgment, and co-create individualized, realistic solutions for coping with life’s stressors. My flexibility is another strength of mine. I individualize each client’s treatments to their preferences and needs so they’ll get the greatest benefits out of therapy. For example, I've worked with clients who need someone to listen, validate their feelings, and offer support. That doesn’t always include exploring solutions or implementing tools, and I am okay with that. While I’m flexible, I can create a firmer structure for clients who need it. In these cases, I’ll guide the conversation a bit more and challenge clients to identify concrete solutions or adopt new coping skills. I have a spectrum of approaches in my wheelhouse, so I’ll adapt based on what my clients need.

Between my experience at a dual criminal justice and substance abuse agency, a foster care home, and surgical and psychiatric hospital settings, I’ve been fortunate to work with a diverse client population throughout the course of my mental health career. I also worked for a non-profit outpatient mental health clinic, where I had the opportunity to treat clients of all ages, backgrounds, and diagnoses. I’m now a proud member of the Resilience Lab mental health collective—the largest community of clinicians working collaboratively to improve mental health access and outcomes. As a Resilience Lab therapist, I specialize in working with adolescents and young adults to explore relationship strain, improve communication skills, navigate life transitions, and address anxiety and depression symptoms.