Meet The Team
"I connected with Sarah instantly! She has a warm, welcoming personality which makes me extremely comfortable sharing my thoughts with her, She truly understands the different chapters that a woman experiences."
Professional Background:
Licensure & Certifications Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC), Maryland Approved LGPC Clinical Supervisor Certified EMDR Therapist and EMDRIA-Approved Consultant Certified Perinatal Mental Health Professional (Postpartum Support International) 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher Clinical Training EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) for trauma Advanced training in perinatal mood and anxiety disorders Mindfulness-based and body-informed approaches to therapy Experience Founder & Therapist, Tilted Root (2024–present) Therapist working with adults, adolescents, and families in private practice settings Developed a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program for adolescent intensive outpatient care at Johns Hopkins Bayview Clinical experience across community mental health, hospital systems, and specialized care settings Education MS, Clinical Counseling — Johns Hopkins University BA, Psychology — St. Mary’s College of Maryland
Sarah Donovan,
LCP, PMH-C, RYT
Owner | Founder | Licensed Therapist
Sarah is a licensed therapist in Maryland specializing in anxiety, burnout, trauma, and life transitions. She works with women and couples who feel overwhelmed by the pressure to hold everything together while still showing up for everyone else.
Her work is grounded in helping clients slow down, make sense of their emotional experiences, and reconnect with a steadier sense of self.
Sarah’s path to this work is deeply personal. As a woman, daughter, sister, wife, and mother of two daughters, she understands firsthand the layered identities and responsibilities that can shape—and sometimes overwhelm—a person’s sense of self. These lived experiences are part of what led her to create Tilted Root.
Clinically, she brings over 16 years of experience across a variety of settings in Maryland and is a Certified EMDR Therapist and EMDRIA-Approved Consultant. She integrates EMDR, trauma-informed care, and a mind-body awareness lens to support meaningful, lasting change.
Outside of the therapy room, Sarah is someone who values movement, creativity, and nature. She once picked up snowboarding and skateboarding in her mid-20s, was inducted into her college Athletic Hall of Fame, and still finds grounding in music, the outdoors, and time with her family. Her black cat, Beatrice, often makes a quiet appearance during virtual sessions.
Areas of focus:
-
Anxiety and chronic stress
-
Burnout and emotional exhaustion
-
Life transitions and identity shifts
-
Relationship challenges
"I connected with Sarah instantly! She has a warm, welcoming personality which makes me extremely comfortable sharing my thoughts with her, She truly understands the different chapters that a woman experiences."
Professional Background:
Licensure & Certifications Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC), Maryland Approved LGPC Clinical Supervisor Certified EMDR Therapist and EMDRIA-Approved Consultant Certified Perinatal Mental Health Professional (Postpartum Support International) 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher (READ MORE toggle) Clinical Training EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) for trauma Advanced training in perinatal mood and anxiety disorders Mindfulness-based and body-informed approaches to therapy Experience Founder & Therapist, Tilted Root (2024–present) Therapist working with adults, adolescents, and families in private practice settings Developed a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program for adolescent intensive outpatient care at Johns Hopkins Bayview Clinical experience across community mental health, hospital systems, and specialized care settings Education MS, Clinical Counseling — Johns Hopkins University BA, Psychology — St. Mary’s College of Maryland
Hanna Badalova
LCSW-C
Licensed Therapist | Couples & Individual Therapy
Hanna is a licensed therapist specializing in relational, psychodynamic, and trauma-informed therapy. She supports women navigating anxiety, burnout, trauma, and major life transitions, offering a warm and steady presence for clients who feel overwhelmed, disconnected, or stuck in patterns that are hard to shift alone.
Her work focuses on helping clients slow down and make sense of what’s happening beneath the surface—so they can reconnect with themselves in a more grounded and compassionate way.
Hanna brings both clinical depth and lived understanding to her work. Her path into relational therapy has been shaped by her own experiences of navigating relationship loss and rebuilding. Rather than something separate from her clinical identity, this informs her belief in the importance of understanding attachment patterns, communication breakdowns, and emotional disconnection with honesty and care.
She maintains a full private practice outside of Tilted Root and also works within relational support spaces through Narratives Therapy and Raft Onward, where she explores themes of relationship loss, identity, and healing.
Hanna offers virtual therapy only and provides a free consultation before beginning work together.
Professional Background:
Licensure & Certifications LCSW-C, Maryland Maryland Board Approved Supervisor Owner, Narratives: Individual and Couples Therapy, LLC Co-Owner, Raft, LLC Clinical Training Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) – Externship with Sue Johnson Education MSW, University of Maryland BA, Goucher College
Book a Free Consult with Hanna
A 15-minute consult to see if this feels like a good fit.
Couples Therapy Support
Many couples come to therapy feeling more like roommates than partners—disconnected, reactive, or unsure how they got to this point.
Hanna supports couples in rebuilding emotional connection, improving communication, and shifting out of stuck relational cycles so the relationship can feel more intentional and secure again.
This work often includes navigating:
-
Emotional distance or recurring conflict
-
The transition into parenthood
-
Feeling stuck in repetitive relational patterns
Who We Support - Who We're Here For
We work with women, couples, and individuals navigating seasons that feel heavier than expected—whether that’s anxiety, burnout, relationship strain, trauma, motherhood, or major life transitions.
We know support doesn’t look the same for everyone. Our goal is to create a space that feels inclusive, affirming, and grounded in respect for your lived experience—not one that asks you to fit yourself into a box.
You don’t have to wait until things feel unmanageable to reach out.
ABOUT TILTED ROOT
Why this works—and why it matters.
Therapy here is about more than helping you cope. It’s about helping you understand yourself more clearly, feel more supported in your relationships, and move through life with greater steadiness and intention.
Why Tilted Root?
You don’t have to be falling apart to need support—but many people arrive here feeling like everything has become too much to hold at once.
At Tilted Root, we understand how easy it is to stay in “functioning mode” while feeling disconnected, overwhelmed, or stuck in patterns that don’t change on their own.
Therapy here is about slowing things down enough to understand what’s actually going on beneath the surface—and helping you feel more steady, clear, and connected again.
Our goal is to help you listen more closely to your mind and body, so you can make informed, meaningful decisions about your life and the life you’re building.
How We Work
Our approach is grounded, collaborative, and trauma-informed. We focus on helping you move from just getting through the day to actually feeling supported in it.
We help you:
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Understand emotional patterns that keep showing up in your life and relationships
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Regulate stress and overwhelm in a way that feels sustainable
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Explore the deeper roots of anxiety, burnout, and disconnection
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Build clarity, boundaries, and emotional steadiness
Therapy here isn’t about fixing you,
it’s about understanding you.
Sarah Donovan
LCP, PMH-C, RYT
Owner | Founder | Licensed Therapist
Sarah is a licensed therapist in Maryland specializing in anxiety, burnout, trauma, and life transitions. She works with women and couples who feel overwhelmed by the pressure to hold everything together while still showing up for everyone else.
Her work is grounded in helping clients slow down, make sense of their emotional experiences, and reconnect with a steadier sense of self.
Sarah’s path to this work is deeply personal. As a woman, daughter, sister, wife, and mother of two daughters, she understands firsthand the layered identities and responsibilities that can shape—and sometimes overwhelm—a person’s sense of self. These lived experiences are part of what led her to create Tilted Root.
Clinically, she brings over 15 years of experience across a variety of settings in Maryland and is a Certified EMDR Therapist and EMDRIA-Approved Consultant. She integrates EMDR, trauma-informed care, and a mind-body awareness lens to support meaningful, lasting change.
Outside of the therapy room, Sarah is someone who values movement, creativity, and nature. She once picked up snowboarding and skateboarding in her mid-20s, was inducted into her college Athletic Hall of Fame, and still finds grounding in music, the outdoors, and time with her family. Her black cat, Beatrice, often makes a quiet appearance during virtual sessions.
Areas of focus:
-
Anxiety and chronic stress
-
Burnout and emotional exhaustion
-
Life transitions and identity shifts
-
Relationship challenges
Professional Background:
Licensure & Certifications Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC), Maryland Approved LGPC Clinical Supervisor Certified EMDR Therapist and EMDRIA-Approved Consultant Certified Perinatal Mental Health Professional (Postpartum Support International) 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher Clinical Training EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) for trauma Advanced training in perinatal mood and anxiety disorders Mindfulness-based and body-informed approaches to therapy Experience Founder & Therapist, Tilted Root (2024–present) Therapist working with adults, adolescents, and families in private practice settings Developed a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program for adolescent intensive outpatient care at Johns Hopkins Bayview Clinical experience across community mental health, hospital systems, and specialized care settings Education MS, Clinical Counseling — Johns Hopkins University BA, Psychology — St. Mary’s College of Maryland
"I connected with Sarah instantly! She has a warm, welcoming personality which makes me extremely comfortable sharing my thoughts with her, She truly understands the different chapters that a woman experiences."
Hanna Badalova
LCSW-C
Licensed Therapist | Couples &
Individual Therapy
Hanna is a licensed therapist specializing in relational, psychodynamic, and trauma-informed therapy. She supports women navigating anxiety, burnout, trauma, and major life transitions, offering a warm and steady presence for clients who feel overwhelmed, disconnected, or stuck in patterns that are hard to shift alone.
Her work focuses on helping clients slow down and make sense of what’s happening beneath the surface—so they can reconnect with themselves in a more grounded and compassionate way.
Hanna brings both clinical depth and lived understanding to her work. Her path into relational therapy has been shaped by her own experiences of navigating relationship loss and rebuilding. Rather than something separate from her clinical identity, this informs her belief in the importance of understanding attachment patterns, communication breakdowns, and emotional disconnection with honesty and care.
She maintains a full private practice outside of Tilted Root and also works within relational support spaces through Narratives Therapy and Raft Onward, where she explores themes of relationship loss, identity, and healing.
Hanna offers virtual therapy only and provides a free consultation before beginning work together.
Professional Background:
Licensure & Certifications LCSW-C, Maryland Maryland Board Approved Supervisor Owner, Narratives: Individual and Couples Therapy, LLC Co-Owner, Raft, LLC Clinical Training Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) – Externship with Sue Johnson Education MSW, University of Maryland BA, Goucher College
Book a Free Consult with Hanna
A 15-minute consult to see if this feels like a good fit.
Couples Therapy Support
Many couples come to therapy feeling more like roommates than partners—disconnected, reactive, or unsure how they got to this point.
Hanna supports couples in rebuilding emotional connection, improving communication, and shifting out of stuck relational cycles so the relationship can feel more intentional and secure again.
This work often includes navigating:
-
Emotional distance or recurring conflict
-
The transition into parenthood
-
Feeling stuck in repetitive relational patterns
Who We Support - Who We're Here For
We work with women, couples, and individuals navigating seasons that feel heavier than expected—whether that’s anxiety, burnout, relationship strain, trauma, motherhood, or major life transitions.
We know support doesn’t look the same for everyone. Our goal is to create a space that feels inclusive, affirming, and grounded in respect for your lived experience—not one that asks you to fit yourself into a box.
You don’t have to wait until things feel unmanageable to reach out.