Meet Sarah

Sarah Thomas Mariano, LCSW offers each person she works with an opportunity to challenge current ways of thinking while providing a warm and inviting place to work through identified areas of need. Sarah is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). She has a history of working in diverse settings including residential settings with children and adults as well as outpatient agency settings and private practice.

She completed her graduate work at New York University and worked in the Boston area for 14 years before relocating to North Carolina with her family. Her position at Peak includes provision of outpatient therapy as well as mentoring new providers on the clinical team.

Sarah works from a strengths-based approach. She will support you in finding skills and talents that can be recognized and built upon through the therapeutic process. She believes that the course of therapy should be individualized, strengths-based and driven by you, the person served. Sarah understands that therapy is not about her agenda but about meeting you where you are, creating space for you to lead the process of healing and growing in a way and at a pace that is meaningful for you.

​Sarah believes that only you own your story and deserve to feel validated in sharing and working through the pieces that feel broken or misaligned. Her focus is on helping you uncover the answers that you have within, so that when you complete the therapy process, you feel empowered, capable and confident to move forward, continuing to trust your instincts and reaching for your own internal wisdom.

She believes that to every extent possible, professional support should be a temporary intervention and works to help you develop a strong sense of self-actualization and a natural support system that can be sustainable for the long-term. Sarah has special interest in working with youth and families, with a primary focus on depression, anxiety, mood/ behavior concerns as well as family discord and self-esteem issues.

She also enjoys working with parenting and co-parenting dynamics. With a background in social work, Sarah also has a particular interest in working with foster care and adoption, providing support to the family throughout this process. ​Sarah is trained as a TAC (Training for Adoption Competency) provider. You can read her profile through C.A.S.E. (Center for Adoption Support and Education) here.

In addition, Sarah published an award-winning children's book, "I Will Love You Forever and Always".  This book is intended to be enjoyed by families and utilized in the therapeutic setting, to help children understand unconditional love, and give parents a platform from which to process this important concept with their children.  This book can be found on Amazon here and on Goodreads here.  

Sarah is also a Prepare & Enrich Facilitator!