ATR Staff

Sara Hiatt, LCSW 

I received my Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Work in 2007 from Idaho State University. Upon graduation I was employed as a Psycho-Social Rehabilitation (PSR) worker. I greatly enjoyed assisting individuals and families in building better lives and reaching their personal goals. Over time, I realized I wanted to return to college and obtain my Master’s Degree. I returned and subsequently received my Master’s Degree in Social Work from Northwest Nazarene University in 2012. I completed further supervision and testing to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in 2015. Initially specializing in Co-Occurring disorders, I worked with individuals that struggled with mental health and addiction. As I worked with these great people, I became deeply aware that many of my clients had underlying and unresolved trauma and so I began to increase my knowledge in trauma treatment.

I am passionate about trauma-informed therapy and see daily the benefits it brings to my clients. I am trained in various disciples including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Recent Trauma Episode Processing (R-TEP), Group Trauma Processing (G-TEP), Trauma Focused and Traditional Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Solution Focused Therapy (SFT), Play Therapy, and Art Processing Therapy.

Mostly I am inspired by and use the work of author and researcher Dr. Brené Brown as I work with clients. One of my great joys is facilitating group and individual sessions based on Dr. Brown’s work. I am thrilled when I have the opportunity to help individuals and families heal shame and increase authenticity and resilience. Everyone experiences shame. [KJ1] Extensive and interesting research has revealed the antidote for shame is courage, compassion, and connection.

I understand that most people do not like to talk about shame, and I strive to create an environment in which people feel safe to lean into this journey of healing. My goal in a treatment relationship is to facilitate courage building to face and accept pain, increase compassion for ourselves and others, and build connection. Within therapy, my goal is to remind my clients of these truths and to help them build and maintain an authentic perspective filled with truth and healing. I focus on courage building, healing traumas, shame resilience, and uncovering the power of vulnerability.
Sara Hiatt, LCSW