Sarah first entered the mental health arena in a different area. She began her career as a mental health practitioner in a psychology program working with children and adolescents. Her work focused largely on assessment and the development of behavioral, academic, psychological, and emotional interventions for children and adolescents (ages 3-17). She also served as a behavioral consultant for the Greene Country School System as a practicum and internship student. Near the end of her masters coursework in psychology, she discovered the Substance Abuse and Clinical Counseling program at East Carolina University and found it was where she belonged. She is currently enrolled as a 2nd year student in the PhD in Rehabilitation Counseling and Administration program at ECU. She has had diverse experiences throughout her professional pursuits, including the exposure to, and leading of, various group formats. She has also assisted in teaching a Group Therapy course for masters students at ECU. Her dissertation also has a partial focus on the incorporation of Motivational Interviewing as a mediator of perceptions of the therapeutic alliance. Sarah’s experience is varied, and includes diversity in age range, presenting concerns, and treatment modalities. She loves to teach and hopes to inspire the desire to learn and most importantly, to believe in one’s value.