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About Me
Bio
Sarah Kwawu LMFT-A, ATR-BC, L-CAT
A Licensed and Board Certified Creative Arts Therapist, and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Associate, Sarah has been working both internationally and locally for the last 15 years, with children, families, and individuals.
Sarah has worked in numerous settings including international schools, child protective services, day facilities, intensive outpatients, and with the United States Peace Corps. In addition to counseling services, Sarah enjoys engaging in lecturing and education opportunities, including being one of the pioneer lecturers in Africa’s only masters program in Art Therapy, at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, and a being a core faculty member at the International School Counseling Association. Sarah currently works as an Adjunct Professor at Cedar Crest College teaching Family Therapy at the graduate level.
Sarah started her career in New York City after attending Pratt Institute, but has lived and worked internationally. Her career has spanned both Ghana and Morocco, valuing the expanded lens that international work provides, and understanding individuals who identify as third culture. Outside of professional pursuits, Sarah is a mother, wife, compassionate community member and spiritually aligned Quaker. Sarah currently resides in Charlotte North Carolina.
Working with Me
I believe each client holds deep knowledge about their own life, and that therapy is a collaborative process of uncovering what may be getting in the way of growth, connection, and change. Over time, painful experiences, relational wounds, major transitions, and protective patterns can leave us feeling disconnected from ourselves, from those we love, or from the life we hoped to create.
I am an integrative, depth-oriented therapist who draws from Internal Family Systems, Emotionally Focused Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Jungian psychology, Object Relations, attachment-based approaches, and trauma-informed care. Rather than focusing only on surface-level problem solving, I help clients explore the emotional, relational, and often unconscious experiences that continue to shape their identities, choices, and relationships.
A session with me may include conversation, art-making, imagery, active imagination, writing, body-based awareness, EMDR, or exploring the protective parts of ourselves that may be blocking connection or healing. My approach is warm, curious, creative, and direct, with attention to both insight and meaningful emotional processing.
I also take care to honor each client’s cultural background, spiritual beliefs, values, and lived experience. I affirm and enthusiastically support clients of diverse backgrounds, sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions, and I am committed to providing care that is respectful, inclusive, and responsive to the whole person.
Education and Licenses
Masters of Art Therapy and Creative Development
Masters of Marriage and Family Therapy
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Associate (LMFT-A)
Licensed Creative Arts Therapist (L-CAT)
Art Therapist Registered, Board Certified (ATR-BC)
- EMDR training through THRIVE institute
- IFS informed EMDR through Syzygy Institute
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy training through the Beck Institute
- Forensic Child Interviewing through National Children’s Advocacy Center
- Child Protection training through the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children
- Certified Mindfulness-Informed Professional
Drawing Deeply June 2026
- “Making Art with Clients; for the Creatively Curious Clinician”
Expressive Therapy Summit April 2026
- IFS and EFT Art Therapy; Integrating Systemic Theory
ISCA Academy Ongoing
- “Supporting SEL Through Art Therapy; Strategies for Artists and Non-artists Alike”
- Ethics in Counseling, Policy and Procedure
International School Counseling Association Conference November 2022
- “Bridging the Gap: Using the Creative Arts Therapies as a Cross Cultural Engagement Tool”
Expressive Arts Therapy Summit October 2022
- “Ethics Abroad: Adjusting Your Lens when Working Internationally”
Dare County Arts Council June 2021
- “The MARI Method: Interpreting Mandalas for Self-Growth”
Emerson Consulting UK October 2020
- “Teaching and Learning in a time of Crisis”
Color of Africa May 2019
- “Managing Anxiety through Art Making”