Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Kramer.
Sarah, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I am proud to have been a practicing licensed psychologist for over 25 years. My passion in therapy has always been to build strong relationships and use my therapeutic skills to guide children, teenagers, and adults, with a focus on their longer-term wellbeing. From volunteer work at state hospitals in Texas and Virginia, through graduate study at Harvard and Auburn Universities, I gained exposure to the wide variety of the difficulties individuals face in life and the multiple ways in which they try to cope. It is an honor to be entrusted with deeply personal struggles and to work with those of all ages as they move towards growth and healthier living patterns.
Most of my career has taken place within individual or group private practices. In the 1990’s, I was a founding member of a small group of therapists in Birmingham, Alabama which continues to very effectively serve the community. Currently, I am in solo private practice while communicating regularly with psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners and family doctors or pediatricians regarding the ongoing care of our mutual patients. I am an active member of the Collin County Psychological Association, Texas Psychological Association and the American Psychological Association. My fellow psychologists in the greater Dallas area have been an invaluable resource and source of mutual support.
My current practice focus is assisting children, teenagers and adults with anxiety-related difficulties, which have become ever more intense in our fast-paced digital world. The many permutations of anxiety require a variety of approaches, close teamwork with the client (and often family members), and dedicated work outside of the therapeutic hour. I am currently developing specific treatment programs for children and youth that will extend outside the office, when needed, and encompass group as well as individual therapy.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I have chosen to make major geographical moves twice in my professional career, and each time had to re-establish my practice from the ground up. The first time, I moved from Birmingham, Alabama (where I had completed my internship training and launched my professional career) to Wichita Falls, Texas. There, I worked in two healthcare settings over seven years. These experiences were invaluable. They helped me learn about this community’s very different psychological needs, and to meet other psychological, psychiatric, and medical providers and work with them in caring for our mutual patients. I then went into private practice in Wichita Falls, forming long-term relationships with children as young as age 3, as well as adolescents and adults. These led to a difficult choice to leave Wichita Falls for yet a different geographic and social environment.
My husband and I relocated to McKinney, Texas in 2014 and I finally closed my practice in Wichita Falls in early 2015 (after commuting for seven months to help with client transition). I was fortunate to have been provided written recommendations from two Wichita Falls pediatricians with whom I had worked closely, as a starting point for introducing myself to my new community. I enjoyed calling on various mental health providers and getting to know their skills and needs as a basis for starting my own practice. Currently, I regularly communicate with area neuropsychologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, counselors, pediatricians and other physicians and work with them in caring for our patients. This close collaboration is beneficial to all concerned.
Please tell us about Sarah H. Kramer, Ph.D.
I am a licensed psychologist in the state of Texas who specializes in individual psychotherapy of children, adolescents, and adults. I utilize an ‘eclectic’ approach to treatment, meaning that within the bounds of my training and competency, I choose one or more therapeutic approaches that seem most likely to help with the patient’s presenting problem(s). Currently, I am developing several related treatment programs centering on anxiety, which is a huge issue for people of all ages. I plan to have the capacity to work outside of the strictures of insurance company requirements in order offer treatments that I cannot perform otherwise. These could include, for example, attending IEP or other school meetings to assist with school adjustment, accompanying individuals to various places in the community for exposure therapy to feared situations, and including other specialists such as those trained in movement therapy (yoga, Pilates) to decrease physiological anxiety.
These are exciting new developments for me and continue my lifelong commitment to learning new techniques, integrating allied treatment approaches and always looking for ways to improve therapy outcomes for my clients.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Like many therapists, I received little training in the business side of our work and preferred to focus solely on how to do therapy well. While I do not regret that in the least, it would have been helpful to have also been more open to training in how to start and maintain a small business, earlier in my career.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2150 S. Central Expwy
Suite 200 (Regus Office Suites)
McKinney, TX 75070-4000 - Website: www.drsarahkramer.com
- Phone: 469-219-3311
- Email: drsarah@drsarahkramer.com
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/drsarahkramer
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/sarah-h-kramer-ph-d-mckinney?osq=psychologists
Image Credit:
Photos of Summit Building interior and exterior, Steven Spainhouer
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