Therapist Profile
Sarah Vachliotis
Senior Therapist
Sarah is a Registered Psychotherapist Qualifying and uses a combination of creative therapy methods with ACT, CBT, and IFS-informed Parts Work.
Sarah's Other Professional Interests
Sarah is especially passionate about supporting student therapists, exploring ethical tech use with families, and developing her SGI Method as a creative, trauma-informed framework for healing.
Healing is a creative process
Sarah's Photos
Sarah's Bio
Education
Sarah holds a Master of Arts in Practice-Based Play Therapy from Leeds Beckett University (UK), as well as a Postgraduate Diploma and Certificate in Creative and Play Therapy from Adler Graduate School and Play Therapy Canada & Play Therapy International. She completed Student-at-Large (SAL) studies in the Master of Psychology program at Adler Graduate Professional School in Toronto. Her additional training includes CBT at SickKids, advanced trauma-focused education with Janina Fisher, and the integration of ACT and IFS-informed parts work into therapy sessions. Her next professional goal is certification in EMDR.
Sarah brings both professional expertise and lived experience to her work. Having cared for her terminally ill father in Greece and navigated her own evolving family story, she understands how grief and identity shifts impact the body and mind.
Work Experience
Sarah currently works as an affiliated therapist with wellness and mental health clinics, offering a trauma-informed and creative arts approach to therapy for children, teens, adults, and first responders. With over 20 years of experience in childcare, movement instruction, and the creative arts, she brings a nervous-system-based and relational style to her work. Her practice includes support for anxiety, emotional regulation, ADHD, developmental trauma, grief, and life transitions.
She is also the creator of the SGI Method (Slow, Grounded, Improvisational): a framework designed to help both clients and student therapists approach healing as a slow, creative, and non-linear process.
Sarah has volunteered at women’s shelters and trauma-informed youth programs, and actively advocates for screen safety, gaming addiction awareness, and online exploitation prevention, supporting families in building healthier relationships with technology.
Personal Life
Sarah is a single mom to a teen daughter and son, and lives with her supportive mother and their beloved dog, Jedi, her loyal companion during The Summer I Turned Pretty marathons with her daughter. She enjoys Starbucks runs with her teen (they add up fast!), dancing to Latin, soca, and reggae, exploring abstract art, and following the Gina Livy wellness program.
Outside of her professional work, Sarah finds deep meaning in travel and family connection. Her experiences backpacking through Europe, living in Chile, and caring for her terminally ill father in Greece have shaped her understanding of how grief affects the body and nervous system.
Some of Sara’s most meaningful travel experiences began with living in Chile, where she connected deeply with her grandmother and Latin roots, dancing and exploring nearby regions like Argentina and Buenos Aires, her favorite city.
Another unforgettable journey was traveling to Prague with her mom, a trip filled with culture, healing, and cherished memories. In the future, she hopes to visit England and Leeds University to honor the foundation of her education in the UK, and is looking forward to planning a trip to Greece next summer with her family.