Dr. Grady is a native Oregonian who completed her education & training in Seattle. After completing her undergraduate degree at Seattle University, Dr. Grady earned her doctorate in school psychology from the University of Washington where she studied educational & clinical psychology.
Dr. Grady completed her pre-doctoral internship and post-doctoral residency at Seattle Children's Hospital Odessa Brown Clinic. She has 15 years experience as a psychologist, having worked in school, hospital outpatient clinic, private practice, and primary care settings. Dr. Grady has held adjunct professor positions at the University of Washington, Islandwood, and Lewis & Clark college. Most recently, Dr. Grady served as the pediatric psychologist at Metropolitan Pediatrics NW clinic.
At Spero, Dr. Grady specializes in Therapeutic Assessment, anxiety spectrum disorders (including OCD & phobias), ADHD in girls and women, parenting interventions, Dyslexia & other learning disabilities, gifted & twice-exceptional children, and clinical supervision of psychologists-in-training.
About Us
Dr. Grady approaches her clinical work with warmth, compassion, and humor. Therapy is not just a place where we do important work together, it should also be a place where clients feel comfortable and inspired to make positive changes in their lives. Dr. Grady aims to create space where clients feel safe, accepted, and also at times, challenged. Sometimes we also accidentally have fun together while "doing the work." Which is pretty cool.
Dr. Grady is an imperfect parent to a 12 year old and 5 year old (& 6 year old pup!) & an imperfect partner to her husband of 16 years. When she is not at Spero, you can find her wandering around the Portland Art museum, cheering too loudly at her kids’ hockey & lacrosse games, meeting up with friends at Yours Truly, having kitchen dance parties with her family, or working on her mother’s foundation, Saint Jane.
Dr. Grady works with children, adolescents, young adults, and women. She is currently accepting new patients for Therapeutic Assessment. Dr. Grady is also accepting new college-aged (young adult) patients for psychotherapy. At this time, Dr. Grady is closed to referrals for child psychotherapy.
Sarah’s history of birth work lies at the heart of her relationship with therapy clients in that she understands deeply that all humans endure pain and hardship, but also joy and rebirth. She has a passion for exploring the ways in which we hold pain and trauma in our body and believes in the value of helping clients reconnect to their full self to heal and create a new relationship to safety. Sarah has a special focus on supporting families through transitions and helping them build secure attachments to themselves and each other. She sees her role as a reflective companion for her clients on their journey, creating space to process adversity, while offering opportunities to make meaning out of life’s difficulties.
In her work with individuals experiencing trauma, anxiety and depression, Sarah utilizes trauma-focused and strengths-based therapies, as well as somatic EMDR, DBT, psychodynamic therapy, motivational interviewing, and mindfulness-based exercises. Sarah is dedicated to creating a safe and welcoming space for her clients. She is LGBTQIA+ affirming and strives to be anti-oppressive and culturally humble in her therapy relationships.
In her time away from clients, Sarah enjoys living in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband and 3 children. She loves anything that gets her body moving- hiking, yoga, volleyball, dance, pickup basketball and more. She believes that true joy is a perfectly baked chocolate chip cookie and that life is better with dogs.
Sarah is currently accepting new patients for Adult psychotherapy.
Sarah Lax received her Bachelor of Arts from Seattle University and her Master’s in Social Work from Loyola University Chicago. She also holds a Certificate of Midwifery from Bastyr University and spent over 15 years caring for pregnant and postpartum families as a community midwife in Oregon and Washington, while also teaching as adjunct faculty at Bastyr University and creating online continuing education courses for providers.
Sarah has a depth of experience working with people who struggle with anxiety and depression in the perinatal period and supporting families as they transition into parenthood. She holds additional certifications as a Somatic EMDR therapist, Certified Holistic Nutritionist, and a TRE (Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises) instructor, and uses these modalities to deepen client care and strengthen nervous system resilience.
