Sarah Axley, LCSW

Sarah Axley is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with 15 years of clinical experience in Virginia. She works with adults facing stress, anxiety, depression, anger, addictions, grief, relationship and parenting concerns, and other life changes. She also supports people navigating chronic illness, caregiving strain, aging-related issues, and concerns tied to neurodiversity and isolation.

She trained at Virginia Commonwealth University and completed a Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Aging Studies. Her clinical work has included outpatient mental health, intensive community-based services, and hospital settings. She gained her LCSW in 2012 and has worked with a range of diagnoses across the lifespan.

Sarah describes therapy as collaborative. Sessions combine practical skill-building with opportunities to understand how thoughts, habits, and relationships affect daily life. She uses clear, concrete strategies so people can practice new ways of responding between visits.

The approaches she draws on include cognitive behavioral techniques, motivational interviewing, narrative work, mindfulness practices, and client-centered methods. That mix is used to help with symptom management, communication, decision-making, and motivation to change. She tends to focus on actionable steps and steady progress rather than vague promises.

Between sessions people are often asked to try short tasks or experiments that reinforce what they’ve worked on in session. These are designed to fit into ordinary routines and to measure what helps. Sarah accepts international clients and holds a practice in Virginia.

How her approaches translate to online work