Dr. Sarah Wolf-Gramzow
Dr. Sarah Wolf-Gramzow is the Owner and Clinical Director of Wolf-Gramzow Psychotherapy (WGP). She is a respected trauma therapist, having trained numerous professionals in trauma and neurobiologically informed care. She currently works with individuals, families, and couples herself, while also providing consultation to clinicians and supervision to interns, student therapists, limited permit holders, and licensed professionals seeking specialized training. She is also an AAMFT-Approved Supervisor Candidate and works with numerous clinical trainees at Northwestern University’s graduate program in Couple and Family Therapy.
Dr. Wolf-Gramzow has a PhD in Marriage and Family Therapy from Syracuse University. She also holds an M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) and is certified in Trauma-Informed Practice (CAS). She is currently a Marriage and Family Therapist holding licenses to practice in the states of New York and Connecticut. Dr. Wolf-Gramzow is also a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP-II) through the International Association of Trauma Professionals (IATP) and has completed the Certification in Traumatic Stress Studies through the Trauma Research Foundation (TRF).
Sarah previously worked as a primary psychotherapist at the Nutrition Clinic’s Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) for the treatment of eating disorders; establishing a working model of treatment from a trauma-informed perspective. Sarah worked under a grant funded by the Health Foundation of Western and Central New York in collaboration with Syracuse University to co-create the Trauma Resiliency for Urban Environments (TRUE) curriculum and subsequently brought this intervention curriculum to professionals and clients in the Crouse Hospital’s Chemical Dependency Treatment Program for Women.
Sarah specializes in working with individuals, families, and couples having experienced interpersonal trauma, such as (but not limited to) sexual assault, domestic violence, interpersonal violence, incest, abuse, and neglect; and non-interpersonal forms of trauma, such as (but not limited to) combat exposure, traumatic loss, natural disaster, and vehicular accidents. Experiences of oppression and stigmatization are also forms of complex trauma in Sarah’s opinion and she works with these issues from a trauma and culturally-sensitive standpoint. Additional areas of clinical expertise and experience include reactive attachment, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, self-harm, and addictions.
Sarah values a collaborative approach when working with clients in co-creating and maintaining a sense of safety and openness to work through life stressors, together. She believes change occurs through relationship and that the connection created, can bring us all toward greater healing and being the best version of ourselves we can be. She leans heavily on and is influenced by Contemporary Trauma Theory, Attachment Theory, Interpersonal Neurobiology, and Family Systems Theories.
Sarah has presented at national (i.e., AFTA) and local conferences and has published literature within the mental health field on the impact of trauma. Sarah is currently an Affiliate Faculty and Clinical Lecturer at Northwestern University where she teaches graduate courses in Marriage & Family therapy and supervises student therapists. She is also an Adjunct Professor at Syracuse University teaching courses related to traumatology and interventions for complex trauma. She has also taught numerous courses at the State University of NY at Oswego in the Psychology and Human Development departments. Additionally, she has given numerous guest lectures at Syracuse University, Ithaca College, and within the community on topics of trauma, PTSD, and attachment.
Sarah earned her Doctorate (PhD) in MFT at Syracuse University and completed a Dissertation on interpersonal processes related to trauma; looking specifically at disclosure as a potentially traumatic experience in and of itself that yields complex post- traumatic stress symptoms for some survivors. For more information on Sarah’s research, please see the page on Current Research on this website.
Sarah frequently conducts workshops and trainings on trauma-sensitivity, trauma-informed practices/interventions, and underlying neural mechanisms of trauma. Her goal is to depathologize the impact of traumatic experiences and to promote education around the physiological effects.
“An abnormal reaction to an abnormal situation is normal behavior”
- Victor Frankl