Sarah Nunnink, PhD

San Diego, California, USA

Website: https://centerforemotionalchange.com

I believe firmly that the key change agent in psychotherapy is the activation and "working through" or processing of emotion in the therapy room. It is not enough to simply talk about or label emotion from an intellectual perspective. I will work hard to help you access and expand your emotions in order to increase your emotional intelligence so that your emotions start working with rather than against you. I'm an authentic and emotionally warm therapist with what I have been told is an innate gift for psychotherapy.

I'm a passionate and wholehearted psychologist who has been working in the field since 2000. My nearly decade long career in the VA and UCSD School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry helped me launch my professional career. My training in experiential therapies including AEDP And EFT helped develop my professional identity, and makes me an ideal therapist to help you with a wide range of life transitions, crises, emotional difficulties and functioning problems.

I received my PhD in Clinical Psychology in 2006 from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), having received scholarships and funding for the majority of my degree. I have been licensed since 2007 and was a full-time staff psychologist at the VA San Diego as well as a clinical professor for UCSD School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry from 2008 to 2016. I launched my private practice in 2015.

My approach to therapy is informed by the following theories:
Experiential Psychotherapy
Relational Psychotherapy
Attachment Based Science
Emotion Theory

I am certified in the following research-supported therapy approaches:
Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP)
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT)
Prolonged Exposure Therapy (For trauma

I've had 10+ years of experience in working with the following populations/areas of interest:
PTSD
Interpersonal Trauma
Adult survivors of childhood maltreatment (abuse/neglect)
Family of origin problems
Sexual Trauma
Sexual Health/Sexuality/Sex Therapy
Sexual Addiction / Hypersexuality
LGBTQ Populations and their family members
Reproductive Medicine (postpartum depression, infertility, miscarriage)
Couples
Affairs/Infidelity
Intimacy and difficulties with closeness/bonding
Interpersonal/Relational Difficulties
Grief & Loss

I have been a part of the AEDP institute's research team and am an author on two peer reviewed studies published in academic journals including the first outcome study. My publications with the AEDP Institute's research team include:

Iwakabe, S., Edlin, J., Fosha, D., Gretton, H., Joseph, A. J., Nunnink, S. E., Nakamura, K., & Thoma, N. C. (2020). The effectiveness of accelerated experiential dynamic psychotherapy (AEDP) in private practice settings: A transdiagnostic study conducted within the context of a practice-research network. Psychotherapy, 57(4), 548–561. https://doi.org/10.1037/pst0000344

Fosha, D., Coleman, J., Iwakabe, S., Gretton, H., Nakamura, K., Nunnink, S., Joseph, A., Quirk, K., Owen, J. (2024). The development of the Moments of Flourishing Experiences Scale: a new scale to measure positive, affect-based flourishing state experiences. Counseling Psychology Quarterly, 38(3), 1-27.

AEDP Certified Therapist

Fees & Insurance: I do not accept insurance. I do offer superbills.
Therapy Settings: In-Person and Virtual