Sage Swiatek
My Work
Healing isn’t a solitary process. We need community to get out of survival mode and move towards a life we can thrive in.
If you’ve been feeling isolated, know that you’re not alone. Maybe you’ve experienced painful rejections by people who should have been caring. Or you’ve needed to be independent from a young age, and find it hard to rely on others. Perhaps your life is full of people who love you, but you still can’t shake the feeling of being alone in a crowd.
As a therapist, I help my clients break patterns of isolation and find a sense of community. Even if we’re just starting with the two of us. My goal is to foster a space where you can be truly, authentically yourself, in all your complexity.
My clients come to therapy with a variety of concerns, including healing from trauma, chronic pain, stress, and anxiety. Others are looking for support around relationships and intimacy. Many of my clients identify as queer, disabled, non-monogamous, or women in STEM. I have specialized experience supporting people who have experienced interpersonal violence, such as sexual assault or domestic violence.
If you’re looking for a therapist who values curiosity, empathy, and an ongoing commitment to social justice, I might be the person you’re looking for. Reach out today to schedule a free, 20-minute phone consultation and take the first step.
Sage Swiatek, ACSW (she/they)
Registered Associate Clinical Social Worker #112761
Supervised by Charlene Dunkley, LCSW
Licensed Clinical Social Worker #107206
Currently Offering: Online Therapy in California
My Story
As an undergraduate student at UC Santa Cruz, I received my degree in Feminist Studies. I started as a STEM student interested in healthcare and made the transition over to the humanities side after taking a course called Science and the Body. This class inspired me to dig deeper into social justice issues and reflect on my own experiences and intersectional identities as a white-bodied, queer, disabled, woman working in healthcare and studying STEM. The shift into Feminist Studies and the infusion of Black feminist theory in my life were integral to my journey because they provided a platform to engage critically with systems of oppression, intersectional identities, marginalization, and social justice movements.
Feminism ignited much of my passion for the field of mental health because therapy is a unique opportunity to holistically engage with an individual’s experience on so many levels. Therapy can be a place to examine parts of our identities, our experiences systemically, and intergenerationally. I am a forever learner and activist and have deep gratitude for my journey into this work.
On a separate and lighter note, I am an avid ocean lover. The ocean is a place of great healing and joy for me. There is no greater thrill than to watch humpback whales breaching in the Monterey Bay or to happen upon a nudibranch in the tide pools. I am located in the Santa Cruz Mountains where you can find me walking among the redwoods and banana slugs with my dogs.