Discover how starting family therapy can support your own journey toward a happier, more fulfilling life.
2 therapists available in Norfolk
I believe healing happens through genuine connection, and I strive to create a warm, compassionate space where clients feel truly ...
About
I believe healing happens through genuine connection, and I strive to create a warm, compassionate space where clients feel truly seen, supported, and empowered to grow.
I’m so glad you’re here! I’m Sue Ann McCray, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a Master’s degree from Boston University. I graduated in 2017, and I have 8+ years of experience supporting adolescents, teens, and adults facing trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, stress, relationship challenges, and life transitions. I also work with those in early recovery from substance use. I provide individual therapy, creating a collaborative, reflective space to build insight, resilience, coping skills, and personal growth.
My approach is client-centered, trauma-informed, and grounded in compassion, acceptance, and respect. I use evidence-based methods tailored to each individual’s needs, to help clients feel seen, heard, and empowered to pursue meaningful, lasting growth.
My care style is warm and collaborative. I create a safe, supportive space where you can feel heard and understood as we work toward meaningful change. Together, we’ll build coping skills, resilience, and self-awareness at a pace that feels right for you. You don’t have to face life’s challenges alone—I’m here to support you every step of the way.
Education and training
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As a therapist, I feel very fortunate to work in a field where I am helping and supporting others as they work on their personal g...
As a therapist, I feel very fortunate to work in a field where I am helping and supporting others as they work on their personal goals.
Sarah Stovall is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) with over 15 years of broad experience in the mental health field. She is dedicated and compassionate about helping others grow, develop healthy relationships, and strengthen their overall emotional well-being. Sarah works with children, adolescents, adults, and families to address their personal challenges. She specializes in depression, anxiety, trauma-related issues, PTSD, relationship issues, parenting, and adjustment to recent life changes.
Sarah completed her Master's degree in Psychology at Phillips Graduate Institute in Encino, CA. She has since used her skills and knowledge with all types of clients, where she has observed positive growth and change in others who have overcome many challenges. Sarah utilizes multiple treatment modalities including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), motivational interviewing (MI), solutions-focused therapy (SFT), family systems (FST), parent-child relations, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), and rational emotive behavioral therapy (REBT).
Sarah has a great understanding of many different challenges and life experiences that come to each and every one of us. She also has the tools and techniques to offer supportive change. Sarah has the genuineness, open mind, and willingness to work together with you to support whatever challenges you might be facing. She looks forward to you scheduling your first session.
You deserve dedicated time with a mental health professional — it can be life-changing.
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My go-to approach for helping people in family therapy is with the use of family systems, psychoeducation, conflict resolution, CBT, communication skills, healthy boundary setting, and other modalities to support the family goals and objectives.
I teach the following tools in family therapy:
I know a client is making meaningful progress in family therapy when they are reducing symptoms related to distress and reporting the use of techniques learned outside of sessions to achieve treatment goals.
Clients are encouraged to practice and utilize their interventions and skills learned from sessions to support change and consistency outside of sessions.
To prepare for their first family therapy session, an individual can think of the areas they would like to improve on and be prepared to provide current and historical information for the intake to help support the identification of appropriate treatment goals.
Family therapy helps families resolve conflicts and strengthen their relationships. It is led by qualified mental health professionals like psychologists, licensed professional counselors (LPCs), and licensed clinical social workers (LCSWs) who have extensive training in family dynamics and group communication.
Thriveworks family therapists in Norfolk, VA usually begin by asking what everyone’s goals are for family counseling. Family members may need help with very specific issues or with general relationship functioning. But there are three main purposes in family counseling: to educate, to counsel, and to strengthen. Thriveworks also offers online family therapy and in-person services, so you may all meet in an office together or join a video call from your home depending on everyone’s location and availability.
The most effective form of Family therapy will often depend on the family itself, as there are many types of family therapy for therapists to use as they see fit in order to best meet the needs of their clients. However, one of the most commonly used types of family therapy is structural family therapy (SFT). SFT focuses specifically on family dynamics and interactions, looking at how they shape the relationships and structure present in the family. It can be effectively used to treat a variety of concerns.
This answer often looks different to each family that starts family therapy. However, some signs that your family might need to consider family counseling include frequent fights or misunderstandings, constant tension, experiencing loss, behavioral issues, marital issues, divorce, and blended family issues, among others.
In family therapy, therapists will often start by asking questions and assessing individual and family dynamics. From there, they may employ therapeutic techniques such as structured family therapy, CBT, strategic family therapy, and more depending on the present concerns and conflicts. From there, a therapist will work to open lines of communication between family members and facilitate emotional healing and growth.
Family therapy can be incredibly successful, with some studies reporting a success rate of almost 90% for improving participants’ emotional and mental health, and around 66% for improving their physical health.
Thriveworks therapists in Norfolk, VA offer both online family therapy and in-person family therapy. We encourage you to choose the option that works best for you.
Family therapy is usually short term and solution-focused, with most families accomplishing their goals in 12 sessions or fewer. However, it can also last for longer if the probles at hand are more complex — and that’s okay, too.
The Hart family’s situation is tough. Learning to work through our sadness, anger, annoyance, or disappointment due to our family members can be extremely hard.
The licensed marriage and family therapists at Thriveworks Norfolk Counseling have the experience, training, and skills to help families like the Harts, and yours, get through the challenges that stand in your way. If you and your loved ones are struggling to push past the ups and downs and need a little extra unbiased support, consider reaching out to our office today.
One of the main goals of family therapy, or family counseling, is to help your family unit get back to a healthier, happier state of living. There are many challenges that families go through, both on an individual and group level. The mental health professionals at Thriveworks Norfolk Counseling have helped many families in the past with common issues including:
If your family is going through one or more of these challenges, family therapy could be the right option for you. Sometimes it can be hard to see eye to eye, especially when there are feelings of anger and sadness involved. Our team of psychologists can help you and your family resolve these issues.
Whatever the reason, your family therapist will meet with each individual family member to better understand their specific needs and goals to create a treatment plan that is unique to the whole family.
Family therapy is often short-term, meaning it can be completed in as little as nine sessions. We understand that every family and their needs are different, so don’t feel discouraged if you need more than nine meetings.
Regardless, our counselors want to help you and your loved ones improve communication, learn tools to articulate your needs, provide guidance on how to support each other, and learn coping mechanisms, and effective problem-solving techniques. Within time, you and those closest to you can be living the healthy and full life you’ve been wanting for some time.
Are you ready to get your family back on track? We offer a safe space for families to work together and communicate openly to reach a common goal.
When you’re ready, visit our online booking portal or give us a call at (757) 317-4315. One of our scheduling specialists can set you up with a trusted counselor at a time that fits your schedule.
In addition to our regular daytime hours, we offer our clients evening and weekend sessions. No matter how busy your schedule is, we have something that works.
Includes individual, couples, child/ teen, & family therapy
Includes reducing symptoms with medication & management
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