Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Harowitz.
Hi Sara, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
As is the case with so many psychotherapists, I was drawn to the psychological practice by an innate curiosity to understand the inner workings of myself and others in order to develop and maintain inter- and intra-personal relationships marked by harmony, reciprocity, and safety. I was particularly invested in introspection, and the internal, often subconscious, but nonetheless vividly alive, systems that it can reveal.
When I entered the psychological field over three decades ago, such “parts of self” were solely discussed in pathological and diagnostic contexts. Yet in the later emergence of Internal Family Systems Theory, as described by Dr. Richard Schwartz, I found a school of practice that radically honors and embraces our complex inner selves as well as their crucial needs for attachment and validation.
In 2023, I relocated my practice from Pennsylvania to Florida while maintaining remote clients from Pennsylvania, where I maintain active licensure. I’m grounded by the region’s warmth, its diverse biomes, and the delicate, natural tapestries from which they’re woven.
Such tapestries live within us, and my work focuses on exploring their functions and purposes, even those of which we were taught to reject- the ones that metabolize shame, fear and unmet yearning for a witness.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Early on in my career, I clashed with the widely accepted notion that one should maintain an emotional “poker face” when treating clients. Such neutrality is not something I have found useful to my clients’ healing. On the contrary, I value the powerful transformations that can occur from radical empathy. Beyond anything else, trauma wants to be witnessed, and I am continually amazed by the healing potential of the simple sentence, “I see you”.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a clinical psychologist who specializes in trauma and couple’s therapy. In my individual work, I’m most proud of the permanent and transformative changes I have seen in my clients since integrating IFS. Within this framework, I guide clients through conversations with their “Protector” parts that manage trauma experienced by the “System”. Through this understanding, we are able to afford new, productive roles to Protector parts, creating an integrated, stable sense of self.
In couples therapy, I combine IFS with EFT (Emotionally Focused Therapy), a theory created by Susan Johnson. EFT widens the scope of parts work to external Family Systems, most often those that did not meet the client’s needs in childhood. In doing so, I’m able to more carefully consider how each individual’s internal world shapes the greater whole of the couple.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Professional success is about the impact I can have with my clients. It’s sitting across from someone who’s been carrying pain for years, and watching them change from being guarded, and overwhelmed with shame access their childhood wounds and and watching them soften, breathe, and realize they’re not broken. My sense of success is directly tied to the positive impact I have on my clients. There is nothing more rewarding than watching a client finally put down the weight they thought they would carry forever.
Pricing:
- 150
Contact Info:
- Website: https://drsaraharowitz.com
