Hear From our Clinic Director and AMFT Trainee, Sarah Lucha!
Sarah began her career in Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and program design work. She has worked as a sexual assault advocate and done great work within the community to advocate for survivors. Sarah is also a published author in the Violence Against Women Medical Journal and an award recipient from the American Academy of Pediatrics For Child Advocacy. Sarah is currently pursuing her Master of Arts in Counseling with a Marriage and Family Therapy Emphasis, and is now beginning to work with clients.
Sarah talks about what therapy means to her, her passion for helping others, and why being a mom helps her to connect with clients.
Sarah says, “I’ve found that no matter who I’m working with, whether it’s a victim of domestic violence or sexual assault, that if you can weave in empathy and compassion in the presence of something so traumatic and awful, it does really help.
Those who have experienced trauma want someone to listen to them, validate their experience(s) and to support them, and that’s something I very much align with. That’s who I am as a therapist, that’s who I am as an advocate, and that’s who I am as a mom. I help clients learn to grow after their trauma by supporting them throughout their healing journey and guiding them through new healthy strategies, thought patterns, and coping mechanisms.
I’m really excited to begin my next step as a therapist and to help people that are struggling or trying to deal with their trauma in a new way. I feel really fortunate to have found this practice and to know Joelle. I value the work we do at JRM&A and our focus of a trauma informed approach.
I have always wanted to be a therapist and help people because I believe in doing good for others, and being in service of others.
Being a mother has really helped me to learn to empathize with others and to see things from another perspective. It has also taught me that patience is really key. I’m able to use what I’ve learned from motherhood with my clients today because I’m often better at entering conversations with an open mind and meeting people where they’re at.
My approach to working with moms that are struggling in motherhood is just to offer as much authenticity as possible, and to really try and acknowledge with my client just how difficult motherhood/parenthood is, and how much they really do on a daily basis for their child or for their children. I also like to remind clients that there is no rulebook or set A-B-C plan for parenthood-we’re all human and make mistakes. So I work with clients on ways to be gentler towards themselves and to celebrate their successes. As a therapist, I’m excited to be able to help mothers and clients find that compassion for themselves translates to their core beliefs that they are doing enough.
One thing that people should know about our team at JRM&A is that we are all very skilled and knowledgeable about trauma. Every therapist and staff person has a rich understanding of trauma and how it affects the body, which helps us provide beneficial strategies for our clients. I strongly believe in JRM&A’s mission of supporting and providing quality care to anyone who has experienced trauma, military, law enforcement and their families.”
Read more about Sarah here!
At JRM&A we lead with compassionate, trauma-informed therapeutic models that are personalized and solution-focused to help support our clients’ needs and attain their personal goals.
You can reach us at (650) 386-6753 or info@joellerabowmaletis to share your comments, ask questions or schedule an appointment.
