Sadie Watts

With over 15 years of direct experience with clients and personal study, Sadie is confident that her professional experiences and education have led her to this opportunity to offer a valuable alternative and integrated therapy option. 

Sadie graduated in 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theology, with an emphasis on Spirituality, from the College of St. Catherine’s in St. Paul, Minnesota. In 2006, she graduated from Denver University with a master’s degree in clinical social work. In 2014 she was fully licensed as an independent clinical social worker with the state of Minnesota. 

Sadie’s clinical experience has been richly varied. At one time, she believed her ultimate calling was to reform the criminal justice system, more specifically, the treatment that is provided to persons who are incarcerated. Working with people who desire significant behavioral changes in a mandated setting helped her to develop and gain crucial skills in assessment, goal planning/intention, and increasing motivation. This type of inpatient setting meant working with various teams of professionals, including chemical dependency counselors, psychiatrists, and correctional staff. Sadie worked for the Department of Corrections for eight years in two different prisons. The prison setting and working within a rigid and cold bureaucracy meant being innovative, engaging, and knowing her client’s abilities, functioning, and intentions. Sadie has unmatched skills in terms of her ability to connect with people at any stage of change and from any facet of our diverse world. She can develop rapport easily and quickly with all people. 

Sadie also worked for a small, rural, independent hospital as a social worker. It was a trial by fire in terms of covering all areas of the hospital, from the emergency department to the maternity ward, and she found this was a wonderful opportunity to learn and grow as a clinician. Hospital social work engrained in Sadie the importance of the patient experience. She learned how to be of service, how to connect with people at very difficult stages of life, and to be an advocate, support, and guide. She trained as a Hospice social worker and spent some time working with individuals and families as they or a loved one transitioned from this life. When reflecting on this work and how it has impacted her practice, Sadie sees herself as more of an observer of a process that is very personal, intimate, and spiritual. These painful and sometimes beautiful experiences, along with her earlier experiences as a nurse’s aide at a Catholic convent in St. Paul, reignited a personal interest and connection to the spiritual. Being present at a person’s death is a sacred experience, and these instances greatly shaped Sadie’s intuitive connection to that universal life force. 

In 2013, Sadie learned about the research that was being conducted with MDMA along with other psychedelics. Having had personal experience throughout her life with psilocybin, she was immediately compelled to better understand how this research/intervention could be utilized to develop options for people working to heal from trauma. Sadie’s career experience, both at the hospital and in the prison, caused her to look at how ineffective some medical and mental health interventions can be, especially over time. This became a time of deep discernment for her personally as she considered what she was doing professionally and what she really desired for the clients who opted to partner with her in therapy. Sadie studied the research and other information on the topic of psychedelics; she recognized that she had greatly benefited from her own psychedelic journeys. Recognizing that many of these psychedelic substances are currently illegal, Sadie has pursued professionally what training and education might better prepare her for the time when these plants and treatments become legal options for people. Preparation has opened doors into a personal exploration that has included several ceremonies with a shaman, as well as individual and couples work with a variety of plant medicines. Woo-Woo Stuff will be a place to learn and explore these practices, creating a community that is open to supporting all people on their journey toward health and healing.