Sarah Ryburn Mealer

LPC

Telehealth Available

Get to know Sarah

Sarah Ryburn Mealer is a licensed professional counselor who works with individuals, both teens and adults, couples, and families around a range of issues including anxiety, depression, divorce care, family of origin issues, family systems issues, grief and loss, interpersonal relating and communication, marital conflict and satisfaction, parenting skills, and suicide of a loved one. She received her Master of Science in Marriage & Family Therapy & Counseling at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi, in 2009 and has held her LPC in Mississippi and, more recently, in Texas since September of 2011.

Sarah Ryburn relocated to Texas from Mississippi in the summer of 2019. She lives in San Marcos, just south of Austin, with her husband Rick and their German Shepherd Dog, Serena, where they enjoy hiking the local trail systems, floating the beautiful San Marcos River, listening to live music, exploring local craft breweries and distilleries, and worship and fellowship with their local, Austin church, where Sarah Ryburn is a member of the adult choir.

Prior to undertaking her master’s degree in counseling, Sarah Ryburn worked in education for more than a decade, teaching high school English and Creative Writing and, after completing her counseling degree, working as a social and emotional counselor for middle and upper school students. It was her teaching experience that inspired her to pursue counseling as a vocation. Many students over the years confided in her, particularly due to her role as co- sponsor of an outdoor adventure club, around a complex and varied range of problems teaching her to recognize that even high–functioning and “successful” students often struggle to manage their personal lives and challenges alone. She was led to serve students in this different capacity which has led to a rich and rewarding second career nurturing and guiding people of all ages to develop the skills and awareness to manage their lives and relationships with confidence and resilience.

Her therapeutic style draws heavily on a classic CBT approach coupled with newer modalities, i.e. EFT, narrative therapies, and trauma–based approaches as well as advances in neurobiology, that offer particular relevance to each client’s needs. She believes strongly in the maxim that as humans we are wounded in relationship and can heal in relationship; a primary focus of therapy is to establish and maintain a foundation of caring and consistent trust within which clients can explore and confront the issues that bring them to the therapeutic relationship.

Sarah Ryburn works primarily in the Austin area but is also available to work with clients in San Antonio; she offers both teletherapy and in–office appointments.