Welcome! | Therapy in Kalamazoo, MI | Pouliot Psychological Services, PLLC

Choosing a therapist is a very personal decision.

To me, therapy becomes a place where two people come together to embark on a journey of personal discovery and growth. I believe healing and transformation occur in the context of a shared therapeutic experience – of a “you and me” – through your experiences and my expertise, we will chart new pathways to fulfilled living and relating. From finding relief and feeling better to gaining insight and developing oneself, you will not be alone. Too often, we find ourselves getting from one day to the next by going through the motions, having to leave behind aspects of ourselves and our experiences that life doesn’t seem to have time for in its busy schedule. As your therapist, our therapeutic relationship embraces all aspects of what we might find, value, and cultivate along the journey to better living.

Areas of Specialization

As a licensed clinical psychologist and founder of Pouliot Psychological Services PLLC, I specialize in working sensitively and empathically with adults of all ages struggling with a variety of concerns, ranging from those seeking general insight and self-discovery to those suffering from chronic and/or debilitating difficulties.

While maintaining a general practice, my areas of expertise and specialization include: trauma (childhood trauma, childhood sexual abuse, developmental trauma, complex trauma, PTSD, and other trauma-related conditions), dissociation, loss and grief, depression and mood disorders, anxiety disorders, psychosis, relationship problems, and personality disorders.

Approach to Therapy

I value a customized approach to therapy, tailoring treatment planning and goal setting to your specific needs and unique characteristics. During our work together, I will utilize a variety of contemporary methods and techniques to address your presenting concerns and struggles, as I practice from a relationally-oriented perspective and interpersonal approach (informed by contemporary relational psychoanalytic theory, research, and practice). This means that the way we come to experience, formulate, and understand our interactions will provide an essential catalyst for change (and growth), as new or alternative ways of experiencing and relating (to oneself and others) become possible and attainable. In other words, by understanding what goes on between us (therapist and client) and within us (our internal experiences while working together), we invite healing and growth to occur on a deeply moving, experiential level that leads to lasting change and lasting relief. In this way, I believe that therapy works best as a co-created and co-negotiated process between therapist and client. In fact, the development of a successful therapeutic relationship is a key mechanism for lasting change and continued growth.

I am committed to providing a safe, welcoming, and affirming therapeutic space where healing, growth, and tranquility become possible. It takes courage to reach out; I am here to help you make that connection.

I offer both brief and longer-term therapeutic care as well as consultation, offering In-Person Sessions (for those in Western Michigan regions: Kalamazoo, Plainwell, Portage, Mattawan, Grand Rapids, Holland, Saugatuck) or Telehealth Sessions across the State of Michigan as well as PSYPACT Participating States. Dr. Pouliot has received the Authority to Practice Interjurisdictional Telepsychology (APIT) under the authority of PSYPACT. To see if your state is a participating state, please go to the following website: https://www.psypact.org/psypactmap

Contact me via phone or email to discuss what might be best for you.

A Special Message for Trauma Survivors

Trauma therapy should provide a safe place and safe relationship to begin the healing process that seeks to carefully understand, manage, and reduce pain and suffering. It works best when the therapeutic relationship creates a kind of space that specifically allows for the safe negotiation and management of all aspects and experiences of trauma. Therefore, it should include the ongoing and nuanced co-negotiation, co-creation, and co-regulation of therapeutic safety and consent, the former being requisite for the latter. It should respect the pace that feels both safe and manageable, rather than one that is forced or rushed. In fact, therapy should be patient in the way that trauma never was or will be. Trauma did not wait for consent; therapy must. Whether I have the privilege of therapeutically working with you or not, it is important to know that you have a variety of options when it comes to finding a trauma specialist, and above all else, you should feel safe.

Feel free to read my other writings on trauma, located on this website, for more in-depth information about my therapeutic approach to and understanding of trauma.

Sarah Pouliot