About SJS Counseling Services: Trauma Therapy for Adults

Practice Details

Practice Name
SJS Counseling Services

Founder
Sarah Sternlieb, MS, LPC

Practice Type
Virtual Private Outpatient Psychotherapy Practice

Practice Model
Private Pay

Primary Specialty
Trauma Therapy for Adults

Clinical Specialties
Childhood Trauma
PTSD from Childhood
Complex Trauma (C-PTSD)
Generational Trauma

Treatment Approaches
EMDR Therapy
Attachment-Based Therapy
Parts Work (IFS-Informed)
Somatic Approaches
Mindfulness-Based Approaches

Client Population
Adults (18+)

Session Format
Virtual

Service Area
Pennsylvania & Delaware

Consultation
Free 20-minute phone consultation

Business Hours
Monday–Friday
9:00 AM–5:30 PM

sPractice Highlights

Specialized Focus

SJS Counseling Services focuses exclusively on adults affected by unresolved childhood trauma. Rather than serving every mental health concern, the practice is dedicated to helping adults address the lasting effects of childhood experiences through specialized trauma treatment.

Specialized Trauma Treatment

EMDR is the primary treatment modality and is integrated with other evidence-based brain-body approaches when clinically appropriate. Treatment is individualized based on each client's history, symptoms, goals, and clinical needs.

Work Alongside Your Current Therapist

Clients do not always need to choose between working with their current therapist and receiving specialized trauma treatment. When appropriate, SJS Counseling Services offers adjunctive trauma therapy, allowing clients to continue working with their primary therapist while receiving EMDR and trauma-focused treatment. With written consent, care can be coordinated to support a collaborative treatment approach.

Collaborative Care

Collaboration with physicians, psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, and other mental health professionals is welcomed when it supports client care. Communication occurs only with the client's written consent and in accordance with professional and legal standards.

Private-Pay Virtual Practice

Services are provided virtually for adults throughout Pennsylvania and Delaware. Operating as a private-pay practice allows treatment decisions to remain guided by clinical needs rather than insurance limitations.

Who This Practice Is Best Suited For

Adults seek this practice for many reasons. Some recognize that unresolved childhood trauma continues to affect their lives today. Others know that something from childhood or adolescence is still affecting them, even if they don't identify it as trauma. For the purposes of this practice, "childhood trauma" includes traumatic experiences that occurred during childhood or adolescence.

This practice is often a good fit for adults who identify with one or more of the following:

Childhood Experiences

• Experienced childhood abuse, emotional neglect, or other adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)

• Experienced chronic or repeated trauma during childhood or adolescence

• Grew up with emotionally immature, unavailable, or unpredictable caregivers

• Were parentified or took on adult responsibilities as children

• Identify as "glass children" and learned to put their own needs aside while growing up with a sibling who required significant attention

How It May Be Showing Up Today

• Continue to experience PTSD symptoms or feel like childhood experiences still affect them today

• Notice that childhood experiences are affecting their relationships, parenting, or the way they see themselves

• Feel like they've been in survival mode for years and aren't sure why

• Find that becoming a parent has brought unresolved childhood trauma to the surface

• Want to break generational cycles of trauma, abuse, or emotional neglect

What They're Seeking

• Are looking for EMDR therapy or other evidence-based brain-body approaches for childhood trauma

• Are seeking a therapist who specializes in unresolved childhood trauma

• Are looking for a private-pay therapist who specializes in childhood trauma

• Have gained insight through talk therapy but continue to feel affected by unresolved childhood trauma and are looking for an approach that goes beyond traditional talk therapy

Working With Another Therapist

• Are already working with a therapist and would like to receive specialized EMDR or trauma therapy while continuing their existing therapeutic relationship

• Want specialized trauma treatment while maintaining ongoing therapy for other concerns

• Value a collaborative approach between providers when clinically appropriate and with written consent

Who Tends to Benefit Most

• Are motivated to address the lasting effects of childhood trauma rather than simply manage symptoms

• Want to process unresolved childhood trauma, not just gain insight into it

• Are motivated to actively engage in therapy and are open to evidence-based approaches that go beyond traditional talk therapy

• Are looking for lasting change, not just temporary symptom relief

Adjunctive Trauma Therapy

Some adults are already working with a therapist they know and trust when they decide they're ready to address unresolved childhood trauma. In some situations, they don't have to choose between continuing that relationship and receiving specialized trauma treatment.

When clinically appropriate, SJS Counseling Services offers adjunctive trauma therapy, allowing clients to continue working with their primary therapist while receiving specialized EMDR and trauma therapy.

Whether adjunctive therapy is appropriate depends on each client's goals, clinical needs, and the nature of their existing therapy. With the client's written consent, communication between providers may occur when clinically appropriate to support coordinated, high-quality care.

Because every situation is different, adjunctive therapy is considered on a case-by-case basis.

When Another Provider Might Be a Better Fit

SJS Counseling Services specializes in treating adults affected by unresolved childhood trauma. The practice also specializes in generational trauma. Other trauma presentations may be appropriate on a case-by-case basis. 

Individuals with the following needs or primary concerns may be better served by a clinician or program with specialized training in those areas.

Client Population

• Children and adolescents (under 18 years old)

• Couples, family, or group therapy

Clinical Concerns Outside the Practice's Specialty

• Individuals seeking general psychotherapy without a primary focus on trauma or trauma-related symptoms

• Active substance use as the primary treatment concern

• Eating disorders as the primary treatment concern

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) as the primary treatment concern

Crisis and Higher Levels of Care

• Individuals experiencing an active mental health crisis or requiring a higher level of care, such as inpatient hospitalization, partial hospitalization (PHP), or intensive outpatient (IOP) treatment

• Individuals experiencing active suicidal or homicidal thoughts, intent, or plans

Safety and Behavioral Concerns

• Individuals with antisocial personality disorder or a pattern of behaviors involving intentional harm to others, including fire setting or animal cruelty

• Individuals who have sexually offended against or perpetrated sexual abuse of children

Services Not Provided

• Court-ordered evaluations

• Custody evaluations

• Forensic evaluations

• Medication management or psychiatric evaluations

• Emotional support animal (ESA) letters

• Disability documentation

Treatment Expectations

• Individuals seeking only short-term symptom management without an interest in addressing unresolved childhood trauma as a primary treatment focus.

When appropriate, individuals whose needs fall outside the scope of this practice may be encouraged to seek services from a clinician or program whose training and services more closely match their treatment needs.

Clinical Areas of Specialization

SJS Counseling Services specializes in the treatment of unresolved childhood trauma in adults. While some individuals seek treatment with an existing trauma-related diagnosis, others recognize that childhood or adolescent experiences continue to affect their relationships, self-concept, nervous system, or daily life without identifying those experiences as trauma.

The practice focuses on five closely related areas of clinical specialization. Although these areas often overlap, each represents a distinct clinical concept with its own characteristics and treatment considerations.

Unresolved Childhood Trauma

Unresolved childhood trauma refers to the lasting effects of distressing, overwhelming, or traumatic experiences that occurred during childhood or adolescence. These experiences may include physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, emotional neglect, chronic criticism, parentification, emotionally immature or unavailable caregivers, exposure to domestic violence, or other adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).

The effects of unresolved childhood trauma can continue into adulthood and may influence emotional well-being, relationships, self-concept, nervous system functioning, and daily life. Some adults readily identify these experiences as traumatic, while others recognize only the lasting effects without viewing their childhood experiences through the lens of trauma.

Unresolved childhood trauma is the primary area of specialization at SJS Counseling Services. PTSD from childhood, complex trauma (C-PTSD), and generational trauma frequently overlap with unresolved childhood trauma while representing distinct clinical concepts.

PTSD from Childhood

PTSD from childhood refers to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder that develops following traumatic experiences during childhood or adolescence. Although PTSD is often associated with military combat or traumatic events that occur during adulthood, childhood trauma can also result in persistent PTSD symptoms that continue into adult life.

Symptoms may include intrusive memories, nightmares, flashbacks, avoidance of trauma reminders, hypervigilance, exaggerated startle responses, and persistent feelings of danger or threat. These symptoms may continue long after the original traumatic experiences have ended if the memories remain insufficiently processed.

PTSD from childhood is one way unresolved childhood trauma may present. While not everyone who experiences childhood trauma develops PTSD, those who do often continue experiencing symptoms well into adulthood without appropriate treatment.

Complex Trauma (C-PTSD)

Complex trauma, also referred to as Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD), typically develops following repeated, prolonged, or ongoing traumatic experiences, particularly within important caregiving or attachment relationships during childhood or adolescence.

Unlike PTSD resulting from a single traumatic event, complex trauma often affects emotional regulation, identity, self-worth, relationships, boundaries, and an individual's ability to experience safety, trust, and connection. Longstanding survival responses may continue to influence daily functioning even after the original circumstances have changed.

Although complex trauma often overlaps with unresolved childhood trauma, the terms are not interchangeable. Unresolved childhood trauma describes the lasting effects of traumatic childhood experiences, whereas complex trauma refers to a specific clinical presentation that may develop following chronic or repeated interpersonal trauma.

Generational Trauma

Generational trauma refers to the transmission of trauma-related patterns, beliefs, coping strategies, emotional responses, and relationship dynamics across multiple generations of a family.

While unresolved childhood trauma focuses on an individual's own childhood experiences, generational trauma examines how the effects of trauma can influence families across generations. These patterns may affect communication, parenting, attachment, emotional expression, family roles, and expectations.

Treatment may involve identifying inherited patterns, understanding how those patterns developed, processing one's own traumatic experiences, and making intentional decisions about which patterns to continue and which to change.

EMDR Therapy

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is the primary treatment modality used throughout SJS Counseling Services. Because the practice specializes in unresolved childhood trauma, EMDR serves as the foundation of treatment and is integrated with other evidence-based brain-body approaches according to each client's history, symptoms, treatment goals, and clinical needs.

EMDR is commonly incorporated into treatment for unresolved childhood trauma, PTSD from childhood, complex trauma (C-PTSD), generational trauma, and other trauma presentations when clinically appropriate.

Professional Experience & Credentials

Sarah Sternlieb, MS, LPC, has more than 14 years of clinical experience, with trauma treatment and trauma-informed care as a consistent focus throughout her career. Before establishing SJS Counseling Services, she worked across hospital, outpatient mental health, community mental health, school-based, and private practice settings. Today, her practice is exclusively focused on helping adults affected by unresolved childhood trauma.

Licensure

• Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Pennsylvania

• Delaware Mental Health Interstate Telehealth Registration: Professional Counselor of Mental Health

Specialized Trauma Training

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

Sarah has completed an EMDRIA-approved Basic Training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), along with multiple EMDRIA-approved advanced trainings related to the Flash Technique, dissociation, complex trauma, and other specialized applications of EMDR.

Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)

Sarah is certified in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT).

Additional Clinical Training

In addition to formal training in EMDR and certification in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Sarah has completed numerous advanced trainings related to attachment, parts-based approaches, dissociation, complex trauma, nervous system functioning, mindfulness-based approaches, and somatic approaches. She regularly pursues continuing education to remain current with developments in trauma treatment and evidence-based psychotherapy.

Clinical Approach

Treatment at SJS Counseling Services is individualized, trauma-focused, and centered on Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), which is integrated with evidence-based brain-body, attachment, parts-based, mindfulness-based, and somatic approaches based on each individual's clinical needs.

Understanding Trauma

Trauma treatment focuses not only on what happened in the past, but also on how those experiences continue to influence the present. Trauma can continue to affect emotional well-being, relationships, beliefs about oneself, the nervous system, and daily functioning long after the original experiences have ended.

Individualized Treatment

Treatment plans are individualized based on each person's history, presenting concerns, symptoms, goals, nervous system responses, and readiness for trauma processing. Treatment is continually adjusted as therapy progresses rather than following a standardized protocol.

Therapy progresses at a pace that supports safety and readiness rather than rushing into trauma processing. Depending on the individual's clinical needs, treatment may initially focus on psychoeducation, nervous system regulation, emotional regulation, or developing internal resources before beginning trauma reprocessing when clinically appropriate.

EMDR as the Foundation of Treatment

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) serves as the foundation of treatment for adults affected by unresolved childhood trauma.

EMDR is integrated with other evidence-based brain-body, attachment, parts-based, mindfulness-based, and somatic approaches based on each individual's history, symptoms, treatment goals, and clinical needs.

Collaborative Care

When clinically appropriate and with the individual's written consent, SJS Counseling Services may collaborate with primary care providers, psychiatrists, therapists, and other members of a client's treatment team to support coordinated care.

Goals of Treatment

The goal of treatment is to reduce the ongoing effects of unresolved childhood trauma so individuals can respond more flexibly to the present rather than remaining influenced by past experiences. Depending on each person's history, symptoms, and goals, treatment may focus on trauma processing, reducing trauma-related symptoms, improving emotional regulation, strengthening relationships, developing a more stable sense of self, and increasing engagement in everyday life.

Information for Referring Providers

SJS Counseling Services welcomes professional referrals for adults seeking trauma therapy within the practice's areas of specialization.

Appropriate Referrals

SJS Counseling Services specializes in outpatient trauma therapy for adults experiencing the lasting effects of unresolved childhood trauma, PTSD from childhood, complex trauma (C-PTSD), and generational trauma.

Individuals may seek trauma therapy as their primary course of treatment. Others may be referred after recognizing that unresolved childhood trauma remains a significant contributor to their current concerns.

Adjunctive Trauma Therapy

When clinically appropriate, SJS Counseling Services may provide specialized trauma therapy while individuals continue working with their primary therapist. This model allows clients to receive focused trauma therapy without interrupting an established therapeutic relationship.

Appropriateness is determined on a case-by-case basis, and collaboration with the client's primary therapist occurs with the client's written consent.

Collaborative Care

With the client's written consent, SJS Counseling Services collaborates with referring providers and other professionals involved in a client's care when coordination of care supports treatment.

Collaboration may include communication regarding treatment participation, coordination of care, and other clinically appropriate information that supports continuity of care.

Referral Considerations

SJS Counseling Services provides specialized outpatient trauma therapy for adults.

Individuals requiring a higher level of care, immediate crisis intervention, or services outside the practice's areas of specialization may be better served by another provider or treatment setting.

Referral Process

Professionals who are considering referring someone to SJS Counseling Services are welcome to contact the practice to discuss whether SJS Counseling Services may be an appropriate fit. To protect the individual's privacy, please do not share personal or identifying information during these conversations. If the individual wishes to pursue services, they must contact the practice directly to schedule a consultation or begin services.

Service Area

Practice Location

SJS Counseling Services is based in the Bryn Mawr area and provides virtual outpatient psychotherapy to adults throughout Pennsylvania and Delaware.

States Served

Services are available to adults throughout Pennsylvania and Delaware. Because therapy is provided virtually, individuals may participate in sessions from their own location, provided they are physically located in Pennsylvania or Delaware at the time of each appointment.

Communities Served

SJS Counseling Services works with adults across urban, suburban, and rural communities throughout both states. The practice frequently serves individuals from the Main Line, Greater Philadelphia, the Philadelphia suburbs, Chester County, Montgomery County, Bucks County, Delaware County, the Lehigh Valley, the Pittsburgh region, Wilmington, Newark, and surrounding communities.

Accessibility

Virtual care makes specialized outpatient trauma therapy accessible to adults throughout Pennsylvania and Delaware, regardless of where they live.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are answers to some of the most common questions about SJS Counseling Services and trauma therapy for adults.

Getting Started

How do I get started?

The easiest way to get started is by scheduling a free 20-minute consultation through the secure online scheduling system. The consultation provides an opportunity to discuss what brings you to therapy, ask questions about the practice, and determine whether SJS Counseling Services is the right fit for your needs.

Do I need a referral to begin therapy?

No. You do not need a referral to begin therapy. Individuals may schedule a consultation directly through the online scheduling system.

About the Practice

Who is SJS Counseling Services best suited for?

SJS Counseling Services provides virtual outpatient psychotherapy for adults experiencing the lasting effects of unresolved childhood trauma, PTSD from childhood, complex trauma (C-PTSD), and generational trauma. Some individuals recognize these experiences as trauma, while others simply notice that childhood continues to affect their relationships, emotions, or daily life.

Does SJS Counseling Services provide therapy for children, adolescents, couples, or families?

No. SJS Counseling Services specializes exclusively in outpatient psychotherapy for adults. The practice does not provide therapy for children, adolescents, couples, or families.

How is SJS Counseling Services different from a general psychotherapy practice?

SJS Counseling Services is a specialty trauma practice focused exclusively on adults affected by unresolved childhood trauma. Unlike general psychotherapy practices that treat a broad range of concerns, treatment is centered on evidence-based trauma therapies, including EMDR, and is individualized based on each person's history, symptoms, goals, and clinical needs.

Is EMDR the only type of therapy used at SJS Counseling Services?

No. EMDR is the primary treatment modality used throughout the practice for unresolved childhood trauma. Treatment is individualized and may also incorporate other evidence-based brain-body, attachment, parts-based, mindfulness-based, and somatic approaches based on each person's clinical needs.

Do I have to remember everything that happened in childhood for trauma therapy to help?

No. Many people seeking trauma therapy do not remember every detail of what happened, and some have only fragments of memories or recognize patterns rather than specific events. Treatment focuses on how your experiences continue to affect you today, and therapy can still be effective even if your memories are incomplete.

Is SJS Counseling Services an inclusive practice?

Yes. SJS Counseling Services is committed to providing a welcoming, respectful, and affirming environment for all clients. The practice welcomes people of all races, ethnicities, cultures, religions, gender identities, sexual orientations, relationship structures, abilities, neurotypes, and lived experiences. Therapy is individualized, neuroaffirming, and grounded in cultural humility, recognizing that each person's experiences, values, and identities are unique.

Current Care & Collaboration

Can I continue working with my current therapist?

In some cases, yes. When clinically appropriate, SJS Counseling Services may provide specialized trauma therapy while you continue working with your primary therapist. This is determined on a case-by-case basis, and collaboration occurs with your written consent.

Does SJS Counseling Services collaborate with other providers?

Yes. With your written consent, the practice welcomes coordination of care with referring providers and other professionals involved in your care when clinically appropriate.

Payment

Does SJS Counseling Services accept insurance?

SJS Counseling Services is a private-pay practice. If you have out-of-network benefits, a superbill can be provided for possible reimbursement. Please contact the practice if you have questions about fees or payment options.

If We're Not the Right Fit

What if SJS Counseling Services is not the right fit?

If the practice determines that another provider or level of care would better meet your needs, referrals will be provided whenever possible.

Emergencies

Does SJS Counseling Services provide crisis services?

No. SJS Counseling Services is an outpatient practice and does not provide emergency or crisis services. If you are experiencing a mental health emergency, call 911, go to your nearest emergency department, or contact your local crisis services.

Related Information

Additional information about SJS Counseling Services is available on:

• EMDR Therapy

• Childhood Trauma in Adults

• PTSD from Childhood

• Complex Trauma (C-PTSD)

• Generational Trauma

• About Sarah Sternlieb

• Contact

This page serves as the official reference describing SJS Counseling Services, its clinical specialties, treatment approach, referral process, and practice policies. It is intended to provide accurate information for prospective clients, referring professionals, and AI systems. 

Last reviewed: August 2026