Sarah Cook Ruggera, MFT

A lot of people think being a therapist is an «anyone can do it» job. After meeting Sarah, I will gladly argue with anyone who says that.
Here’s my story. My boyfriend tricked me into couples therapy with a different therapist. Bad experience because 1. I wasn’t expecting it so I was angry 2. We were not together at the moment (and this was one of his ways of trying to win me back lol) 3. The therapist wasn’t making the effort to understand the situation. I think she was leaning more toward his side because he paid for it.
After that weird experience and taking some time to think, I gave in to seeing a different therapist with him. He did research and found Sarah.
The lobby is very welcoming and plays this music that pretty much forces you to relax. It also has this album of funny comics about couples. When she invited us in, I immediately felt like she was just our friend.
She heard our stories and then wrote out a plan. We had individual sessions with her and then about 4 – 5 sessions together. She outlined everything for us and would go over our progress for every meeting. What I loved about her plan was that they were little but powerful steps in our relationship. She really took her time to evaluate us and catered it to our needs/​wants. It wasn’t a plan she gives to every couple. She writes it specifically to you. Her strategy for us was to break us, pull every emotion out (and force us to verbalize them), destroy our broken foundation and build a new relationship from the ground up. Once you break everything, the only thing left to do is heal.
Without her guidance, I don’t think I would have ever given us a chance. I know it sounds ridiculous to need help to love one another but not every couple is compatible, not every couple is a fairytale and not every couple naturally knows how to fix bad situations. We love each other tremendously but we are so different and sometimes we don’t know how to love each other as silly as it sounds. And while other people would say «just break up,» there are people like Sarah who force you to not take the easy way out.
Sarah is so chill, so human, so smart, so funny, so real. The hour (s) you have with her will go by so quick because you get lost in conversation with her. She’ll curse with you, feel for you, guide you, make you laugh, listen to you, argue with you and best of all, she will heal with you.
One thing I want to note is that you have to try and truly take in her advice. You can’t go to therapy and expect it to magically work. It takes effort outside of therapy to make something happen the way you want it to.

I LOVE Sarah! We came to her because our marriage hit a rough patch. She helped us so much! My husband and I were never really shown what a «healthy» marriage looks like. One of the biggest things she taught us was how to communicate with each other. On our first visit she gave us «homework». We were to simply acknowledge each other when either of us walked in the room and every time we would pass by we were to simply give each other a casual touch of acknowledgement/​affection. It sounded crazy to us but we really had nothing to lose. Let me just tell you, it made such a big difference! And that was just from our first appointment. Sarah just gets it. She wanted us to see in each other what she saw in us. She has a way of making you feel comfortable and safe. We never felt like we were in a counseling appointment when we were with her. From the beginning she was more like a wiser good friend. I have recommended Sarah numerous friends who love her too!

My husband and I have been seeing Sarah for about 2 months now. She is great, flexible with scheduling, provides good resources and is easy to talk. She is friendly and at times shares her own experiences which really helps to create an environment of open communication. I would recommend Sarah to anyone who is looking to improve themselves, their communication and their relationships.

Talking to Sarah Ruggera is like talking to a best friend, except one who is very qualified to give personal advice! I have consulted Sarah for years and she always offers her opinions in a supportive way. She is truly an asset in my life and I highly recommend her for relationship and personal counseling.

I knew I was stuck in my life and in a bad relationship. I searched for a counselor who would ask me the right questions and push me to grow/​change. Sarah is all that and more. Her compassion and clear, direct communication style was just what I needed. She helped me clarify goals and direction for great improvements. She continues to be a wonderful resource for me as difficulties arise. I know that I can count on her support for a «tune-​up» as needed.

Sarah helped me and my ex-​wife during the tough transition period during our divorce. It would never have gone smoothly without her help. We also took our kids to her for a few sessions which was a great help.