Sai Peterson
Meet Sai (She/Her)
Psychotherapist LGPC – Maryland
Virtual Opening! Ask about Sai’s openings!
Insurances: Cigna, BCBS, Johns Hopkins, and Aetna
Meet Sai: Your Collaborative Guide
Hello, I’m Sai, and I want to extend a warm welcome to you, especially if you’re new to therapy. Taking this first step can feel intimidating, and you might not be sure what to expect. That’s completely normal. My priority is to create a safe, clear, and collaborative space where we can demystify the process together. I’m here to answer your questions, ease your concerns, and ensure you feel comfortable and truly heard from our very first session.
Navigating Chronic Health & Physical Disability
Living with a medical condition or physical disability often means carrying a weight that others don’t see or understand. The exhaustion of balancing health needs with daily life, the frustration of feeling misunderstood, and the toll of uncertainty can be immense. I have a deep personal understanding of these challenges.
In our work, we’ll create a space to acknowledge the full complexity of your experience. We’ll also focus on reconnecting with your sense of self, adapting to life’s shifts, and cultivating a life that feels meaningful and grounded, even in the midst of difficulty.
Supporting Graduate Students & Working Professionals
I also have a passion for supporting graduate students and working professionals. I understand the pressure to perform, the constant mental load, and the feeling that you’re just a number. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and disconnect from what truly matters. I am here to help you navigate that pressure—to build resilience, manage burnout, and find a sense of clarity amidst the chaos.
My Therapy Style & Approach
Therapy with me is conversational, flexible, and action-oriented. My main framework is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which is all about helping you live a meaningful life, even with the challenges you face. We will:
Make space for your experiences in the here and now.
Clarify your core values—what truly matters to you.
Take meaningful action toward the life you want to live.
I believe in explaining the “why” behind the tools we use, so you always understand the purpose of our work. We will strike a balance between deep reflection and practical strategies, empowering you to process deeply while building the skills you need to move forward. I also integrate elements of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Gestalt therapywhen helpful.
Other Areas of Focus
Cultural Experience: As someone with both Eastern and Western experience, I enjoy helping Asian and Asian American clients navigate their unique cultural experiences.
Mental Health: I also work with those struggling with anxiety, depression, life transitions, relationship challenges, and childhood trauma.
A Little About Me
When I’m not in the office, you can find me on the couch with a haunted house novel, going for a walk with my black Labrador, Luther, practicing a new pose on an aerial silk, or honing my martial arts moves.
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Client Testimonial:
“Dear Stride Forward Counseling, and Sai Peterson.
Working with Sai Peterson has been one of the great fortunes of my life. Her professionalism, method, and practice of therapy is excellent. I have been in and out of therapy for the last few years of my life and met with professionals in many different contexts: emergency counselors, CBT therapists, and so on. Sai demonstrates a gift and capacity to listen to her client and then curiously pull away at the several layers of stories, details, and pain. She then calmly invites you to sit in the discomfort without judgment, breathe in, and seek peace.
Sai has a gift for bringing calm through her inquiry and demeanor that can be a rare encounter for someone like me who is so conversational, outgoing, and long-winded. I remember in our first few months of speaking, I found myself anxiously winding myself up by over-rationalizing my own anxious relationship with love and romantic relationships. I am embarrassed to recall that I was very much like a dog chasing a squirrel around a yard and thinking, “Once I get that squirrel, I will finally understand and heal my broken heart!” Very patiently, Sai helped me slow down and be aware of myself. She helped me to investigate pain, anger, and sadness with curiosity and compassion, instead of hypocrisy and poison. As a trained sociologist, I commend Sai’s qualitative method of inquiry and curiosity. She is an expert in managing complex emotions and yet is assertive and firm when it comes to affirming and reassuring her clients.
She is able to explain her methods, practicingphilosophy, and is very transparent with her clients. She often used evocative imagery and metaphor to explain how it can feel to be anxious or feel overwhelmed. A few of these were “riding the wave” of emotions, or just letting the water flow past you without panicking. I found strength in our conversations and felt the courage to confront many ofmy own past wounds. She has helped shape the way I navigate the world, my emotions, and own mind.
There is much more I wish to say, but as Sai knows very well, I often get carried away when I talk about something that I’m passionate about. I have long been worried about this eventual transition from receiving care to not be, but I feel that I can encounter the anxiety with confidence in myself. Sai helped me to be able to do that! My feedback is to please take good care of Sai Peterson so that she can continue to take good care of others. She is a very talented professional, and a good human being, and those are worth everything.”