March is Social Work Month! We're proud to spotlight the amazing social workers providing care to clients at our Center for Effective Therapy. Below, get to know our Staff Social Worker, Sarah Gurney!
How long have you worked for The Baker Center?
Sarah has worked for The Baker Center since November of 2021.
How did you first become interested in mental health?
Sarah first became interested in mental health work when she was in middle school and high school. She had many friends struggling with mental health issues who were unable to access treatment due to a lack of treatment options in their hometown and a general lack of attention given to children’s mental health issues at the time. Friends of hers who did receive treatment for mental health did not find the therapy methods to be helpful, and they were often shame-based. As she watched her friends struggling with their symptoms and the available treatments, Sarah knew there must be better options for treating mental health issues for children out there, which pushed her towards an interest in evidence-based practices.
Sarah started off being interested in the medical model of mental health treatment, and then moved towards an interest in the person-centered approach to therapy. Now, evidence-based practices are helpful to Sarah in finding the right blend between using research in therapy approaches and individualizing it to fit the child and family in need.
What about your degree and education in social work has set you up to be a successful clinician?
Sarah’s Master of Social Work program track was formative for her work as a clinician, as she started training in evidence-based practices from the jump. In her second semester, she completed a course of training in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT).
Throughout her work in this program, Sarah grew to appreciate evidence-based practices for their grounding in research and verified information, their structured approaches, and the proven strategies for reducing symptoms and getting the child back to a state of functioning. With these practices, Sarah believes that we can use treatment to set kids up for success in the future.
What is an experience(s) that you had prior to The Baker Center that you found impactful, and that helped guide your professional development?
Sarah’s first few jobs were in the foster care system, as a therapist individually and in group homes, and in outpatient settings. While these experiences were formative for Sarah in her work with children, she noticed a limitation in the work environment for supervision and supported implementation of evidence-based practices.
What about The Baker Center inspired you to work here, and what stood out about the opportunity to be a member of the staff?
Sarah noted that “A pull to the Center for Effective Therapy was a robustness of supervision for all staff here. We are steeped in evidence-based practices at every level of this organization, and there is a shared language around the work we’re doing here. There is a strong support system for clinicians implementing treatments to fidelity, while taking care to individualize the treatments for each kid and family.” At the Baker Center, Sarah believes that we have the space to think creatively while implementing treatments for each family, rather than using a “one-size fits all” approach.
What is unique about the work that we do here at the Center for Effective Therapy, and why do you believe in it?
“The Baker Center has a focus on short-term, skills-based approaches. We follow through on the idea that in most circumstances therapy should not last forever when you’re a kid. Here you can get the skills that help you function beyond therapy, and we set you up for success even after our sessions ends. Our treatments help kids be successful without being dependent on the clinician.”
“Our data driven approach is unique as well, it can be a really powerful tool for kids and parents to see in our data and graphs the progress that they’re making.”
Sarah shares that “Looking at the data with clients can help to put the hard days into perspective, when they can see that overall, they’re making great progress. The graphs can show that through treatment, the hard days don’t come as often as they used to, and they have the skills to manage them when they do.”
What are your thoughts on the evidence-based practices that we use here?
Sarah is trained in the Modular Approach to Therapy for Children (MATCH), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), and Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE).
“I like MATCH because it allows me to have a lot of resources in one place, rather than having to pull from a million different roadmaps and protocols. MATCH has taken all of the research on which techniques are most effective and most impactful, and it has consolidated it into one place. MATCH enables therapists to have these tools at their fingertips and know that they are proven to work for kids”
Sarah shares that “Trauma work is my heart, and the work I do with TF-CBT is very important to me. The statistics of kids experiencing traumatic events before the age of 18 is astronomical, and effective trauma work is something I feel very passionate about.” TF-CBT allows Sarah and other clinicians to deliver treatments that help children struggling with trauma to move forward and to help them get back to feeling like themselves.
Sarah has recently been trained in SPACE, and shares that she is “Really excited about getting started with SPACE. A barrier for kids is that individual treatment can be hard, especially for kids with anxiety. SPACE incorporates the family into the treatment protocol and focuses on changing the child’s environment with the partnership of caregivers to help them overcome their anxiety. The caregivers become a support in the child’s exposure work, and SPACE helps them to identify and limit accommodations for their child’s anxiety as a strategy to minimize its effect in the long run.”
Do you have additional goals you are working towards at CET? (ex: ongoing projects, training in certain therapies, etc.)
In the future, Sarah is looking forward to providing a group-based treatment for kids who have experienced trauma. “We are going to be working to deliver evidence-based practices for trauma in a space where kids can learn together and connect with their peers.”
More about Sarah:
Sarah is a licensed independent clinical social worker and a Staff Social Worker at The Center for Effective Therapy. Sarah specializes in working with youth experiencing anxiety, behavioral issues, trauma and stressor related disorders, and difficulty adjusting to challenging life events. Trained in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Collaborative Problem Solving, and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Sarah is passionate about helping youth and families live their best lives through addressing mental health needs, managing stress, and building skills to solve problems. Sarah believes in building on the individual’s and family’s strengths as the key element in growth and healing.
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