About Us
Our Story
Wild Grace Encounters is led by Sara Hadgraft, LMFT, LPC (Sparrow Counseling) and David Murphree, LPC‑S (Trinity Counseling), two experienced therapists who share a passion for helping individuals, couples, and professionals engage in meaningful reflection and relational growth. Together, they bring more than two decades of experience working with individuals, couples, and families through both challenging and transformative seasons of life.
Sara and David met in 2015 through Al‑Anon, a recovery community for families impacted by addiction. At the time, each was doing their own personal work, learning to live with greater honesty, authenticity, and spiritual grounding. What began as friendship and shared conversation eventually grew into professional collaboration and a shared vision for creating spaces where people could slow down, speak honestly, and reconnect with what matters most.
From that vision, Wild Grace Encounters was born. Through retreats, workshops, and professional education gatherings, Sara and David create environments where individuals, couples, and therapists can pause, reflect, and explore their lives and relationships with curiosity, honesty, and compassion.
Their approach blends clinical experience with warmth, thoughtful conversation, laughter, and moments of quiet reflection grounded in the belief that when people make space for honesty and grace, meaningful change becomes possible. Through years of marriage, parenting, counseling, time outdoors, and faith-filled spaces, Sara and David have seen again and again how openness and compassion can gently reshape the way people see themselves and one another.
Meet Sara Hadgraft, LMFT, LPC
Sara’s work has always been rooted in the places where relationships feel most tender. She began her clinical career in 2016 serving couples and families navigating divorce through her private practice, Sparrow Counseling, with a steady focus on helping parents move through that season with as much clarity, compassion, and stability as possible—always keeping the children’s well-being at the center.
Over time, Sara continued supporting families of divorce, but in recent years she has found fresh energy in helping couples strengthen connection and rebuild intimacy through Couples Intensives. Guiding partners through real-life tools for hard conversations, how to slow down, stay present, and repair after disconnection, has reaffirmed her belief that restoration is possible, even when couples feel stuck.
Sara is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) with decades of experience not only as a clinician, but also as a mother, former high school teacher, and leader. She brings warmth, wisdom, and a faith-informed perspective to her work; helping couples speak honestly and listen with love. Sara holds two master’s degrees, serves as a clinical supervisor for marriage and family associate counselors, is a trained sex therapist, and is trained in the Developmental Model for Couples and EMDR.
Outside the therapy room, Sara loves reading, walking with her dog Sparrow, and spending time with her husband, close friends, her daughters, and her two grandsons—who proudly call her “Honey.”
Meet David Muphree, LPC-S
David’s work is grounded in the belief that meaningful change begins with courage; the courage to slow down, tell the truth about what’s happening inside of us, and trust that healing is possible in the presence of the Divine. Before becoming a therapist, David spent more than 15 years in the corporate world and later owned his own business, experiences that shaped his steady, practical approach to growth and leadership.
As a counselor with Trinity Counseling, David creates space for people to do deep, honest work, moving toward wholeness with clarity, humility, and hope. He’s less interested in what is “wrong” with us and more interested in what is right with us; helping clients focus on strengths, build emotional resilience, and step into healthier ways of relating to themselves and others.
David often weaves nature, poetry, and mindfulness into his life and practice, believing that the created world mirrors the quiet wisdom and grace that can also renew relationships. His style is grounded and compassionate, offering both practical tools and gentle truth-telling that invites real change without shame.
David is a clinical supervisor for associate counselors and is trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Lifespan Integration, and EMDR—approaches that support trauma healing, emotional regulation, and forward movement with compassion. Born in California and now rooted in Birmingham, he loves hiking, CrossFit, time outdoors, and life with his wife, three adult children, and their Great Pyrenees, Sadie.
Blooper Reel
We Take the Work Seriously—Ourselves, Less So
The work we do with individuals, couples, and professionals is meaningful and often deeply personal. But along the way, we’ve learned that laughter and humility are just as important as insight. Here are a few moments that remind us not to take ourselves too seriously.
Our Dogs
A Little Joy from Our Lives, Sadie (David) and Sparrow (Sara)
While we are both parents and grandparents, these days we also spend a lot of time enjoying our dogs. One of our simple joys is watching them do what dogs do best—running, exploring, playing, and reminding us to slow down and enjoy the moment.
