Dawn Sparks

MA-Level Intern

Counselor Dawn Sparks smiles kindly in front of a nature background

Insurance Accepted

  • Aetna
  • Optum

Specialties

  • grief/loss
  • life transitions
  • career transitions
  • identity
  • Christian identity
  • teen transitions
  • teen issues
  • Christian spiritual direction
  • Christian spiritual formation and spiritual disciplines
  • anxiety
  • depression
  • existential concerns/life purpose
  • meaning making
  • narrative therapy

Experience Level

Client focus

Age

  • children
  • preteens/teens
  • adults
  • seniors

counseling type

  • individuals
  • couples
  • families

Location

Castle Rock

Online Counseling - Colorado

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. –  Jeremiah 29:11

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies are new every morning. Lamentations 3:21-23

“There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” C.S. Lewis

“Afflictions are not single items; they are part of a massive, beautifully structured design. The loom of Providence is weaving a garment of glory for you.” – C.H. Spurgeon

“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” – Psalm 30:5

Philosophy and Therapeutic Approach

Some grief is hard to name, the kind born from the loss of the life you thought you would live. Maybe it’s the end of a marriage. A diagnosis that changed everything. The loss of a child. A friendship. A dream you had to let go because life had other plans. A story so heavy you wonder if anyone could truly understand it. Or maybe you had life figured out, and now you find yourself questioning everything you knew to be true.

I believe that meaning can be found in even the hardest of seasons and that your grief is not the end of your story. My work is shaped by the conviction that every pain has purpose and there is something worth moving toward, even if you cannot see it yet.

The way we think shapes everything: how we see ourselves, how we assign meaning to what we’ve been through, how we interpret what lies ahead. When those thoughts go unexamined, they have a way of keeping us trapped in false narratives and robbing us of hope. My approach is collaborative. You were not meant to walk this journey alone. We’ll look honestly at what’s keeping you stuck, figure out what you want life to look like on the other side of this, and work toward that together, one step at a time.

What to Expect in Therapy

Starting therapy takes courage. Whether you’ve been carrying something heavy for years or you’ve hit a season where you need someone in your corner, walking through that door is the first real step, and my goal is to make it feel worth it.

You don’t have to have it all together or have the right words. Nothing you bring is too much. We’ll move at your pace. Our work together is like finding a guide on a trail you’re already walking. I will come alongside you, shine some light on the places sitting in the dark, and help you find what you need for the journey ahead.

In our early sessions, we’ll get to know each other, make sure we’re a good fit, and begin mapping out where you want to go. Trust first, then the deeper work. Whether this season feels unbearable or you simply need a little guidance to find your hope again, I’d love to walk beside you.

I’m a person of faith, and I bring that into the room with me. If prayer, scripture, art, music, or writing would be meaningful to your process, I’m open to all of it. We’ll use whatever helps you.

Personal Qualifications and Experience

My calling to counseling came through lived experience, loss, faith tested in fire, and the slow realization that the things I had walked through were equipping me for something.

I have spent over twenty years as a professional photographer. What that taught me, more than lighting or composition, is how to be present with people in significant moments of transition—weddings, births, senior portraits—the threshold moments that feel both beautiful and terrifying at the same time. Learning to help people see themselves clearly in those moments turns out to not be so different from what happens in the counseling room.

I am currently completing my master’s degree in clinical counseling at Colorado Christian University and hold certifications in CAMS, CAMS Teens, and ASIST, focused on suicide intervention and crisis support. I know what it is to sit in the dark and wonder if the morning is ever coming, not as a clinical observation, but a personal one, and it’s the reason I am here.

Personal Life and Interests

I grew up on the east coast of Florida but have called Colorado home for the last 28 years. I’ve been married to my husband Noy for 33 years. We have four children, three here with us and one waiting in heaven.

When I’m not studying or seeing clients, you’ll find me behind a camera, out on a trail, or with my nose in a book. I love the mountains but I never stop missing the ocean, and I escape to the beach any chance I get. I share my home with a mini schnauzer named Amos and two cats who have very different opinions about personal space.

NEXT Steps

Browse through our clinically excellent Christian counselors by clicking the button below, and schedule an appointment when you are ready. We want to hear your story. Let’s write a new chapter, together.