About Sarena
Sarena Mestas helps people who are struggling with stress, anxiety, mood disorders, and relationship concerns. She supports clients working on self-esteem, confidence, and issues related to bipolar disorder and depression. Her approach is practical and direct, focused on everyday problems and small, steady changes.
She uses a mix of talk-based and skills-focused work. Sessions often include identifying unhelpful thinking, practicing new ways to cope, and building awareness through mindfulness. Motivational techniques are used to help people find reasons to keep going when change feels hard.
Background and approach
Sarena practices as a Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC, in Oregon and brings 12 years of experience to her work. She aims to meet people where they are and tailors conversations and plans to each person’s needs. Her manner is respectful and down-to-earth.
In a typical session she listens first, then helps set a small goal for the next steps. She focuses on clear tools that can be used between sessions, such as breathing and grounding, thought records, and communication strategies. Progress is tracked in simple, measurable ways.
People can work with her for short-term goals like managing panic attacks or longer-term goals like improving self-love and workplace stress. Sessions are offered in English and international clients are accepted. Practical next steps are provided to help people get started without added confusion.
Practical approaches and online care
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and understanding the person’s experience. The therapist follows the client’s pace, reflects what they share, and helps them find their own solutions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at how thoughts influence feelings and behavior and teaches tools to shift unhelpful thinking and reduce symptoms like panic and depression. Dialectical Behavior Therapy, DBT, emphasizes building emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal skills to handle intense emotions and improve communication.Choosing the right approach is a team effort. The therapist will discuss goals, try techniques, and adjust plans based on what helps most. This collaborative process allows for mixing methods so the work fits the person’s needs and preferences.
Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to add flexibility. Video calls let people use visual cues and longer conversation. Phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited or a speaker-only check-in is needed. Chat or text-based messaging can fit into busy days for brief check-ins, skill practice, or notes between sessions. These options make it easier to schedule consistent care around work and life commitments.
Questions people ask
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What this counselor works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
Also listed
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 12 years
- Licensed
- Oregon
- Languages
- English