Meet Sarah Baum of One Breath Healing in McCormick Ranch

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Baum.

Sarah, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I went to college and graduate school in Southern California and got my Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University.

I started my career working in community mental health. I provided individual, couples and family therapy to people in a clinic setting as well as in their homes. I worked in impoverished communities and my clients all had Medicare insurance. I worked with this population for 6 years. I saw a lot of trauma during this time and it was a very emotionally taxing job. I loved my clients, however it was very hard on me emotionally.

I moved to the Sacramento area and ended up working for a County Office of Education. During this time I worked with students in special education and had current Individualized Education Plans. I worked quickly up the ladder in education and found myself supervising a team of both licensed and unlicensed therapists. I loved this role and the impact that we had on the students.

My next role was to become an administrator for special education programs. This is a role I loved, but soon after taking it, my husband was transferred for work to the Phoenix area. This was a hard transition for me as I had a job I loved as well as a new baby.

We moved in March of 2019. I quickly realized that the educational system in Arizona was very different than California and decided to make the leap into private practice therapy.

My current practice is primarily women I also see a few couples as well. I share my office with another therapist named Sheila Shervey and we pride ourselves on holistic therapy for women. I very much enjoy my work helping women learn to love themselves and find happiness in their lives again.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The course of my career has been a windy road to say the least.

I think when you go to school to be a therapist the expectation is that when you are finished with school, you hang out your sign and jump into private practice, but that is not the reality. To become a licensed therapist you need 3000 hours of internship and two exams.

It is very hard to find private practice opportunities for internship, so many of us end up working in community mental health and then stay doing agency work. This is great, but moves you farther and farther away from private practice.

In addition, we get zero training or education on being business owners so the thought of it is daunting. I was an experienced mental health clinician but afraid to be a business owner.

Moving to Arizona pushed me in this area. Education and agency work no longer felt right to me and having 3 children under 5 it made it hard for me to conform to the schedule of a “regular job”.

I was very lucky to meet Sheila, my colleague at One Breath Healing. We ended up having a lot in common, both from Southern California and both even having gone to the same grad school. She has really shown me the way and made this journey seem doable.

Now I am happily in private practice and love my work.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with One Breath Healing – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
One Breath Healing is our brand. Sheila and I work together in McCormick Ranch in Scottsdale sharing a large beautiful office under the shared vision of helping and healing for women.

Our mission is to provide women in our community with a place where we can hold space for their emotions and true selves to find joy and peace.

I pride myself on being relatable. I am not the therapist where you come in and I only say “yes” and “mm-hmm” and don’t offer any real feedback. I am going to meet you where you are and we can go on this journey together.

I find that women in particular become the holders of so much emotion throughout their lifespan. Whether it be work, family or other challenges. There are stages and seasons throughout our lifetimes that can be so stressful and painful to navigate and often times we don’t have a proper place to let that all out. I like to be that safe space for women and people.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I look forward to growing my business and helping women enjoy their lives and be happier!

I also hope to continue to work with the wonderful community agencies that I have been in touch within my short time here in the Phoenix area.

One of my passions is fertility and new mom mental health, specifically postpartum disorders. I have partnered with a few other businesses that focus on motherhood to find ways to reach out and spread the word that motherhood is hard AND there are lots of people that want to help you navigate through it.

Women’s issues on a larger scale are also my passion, so I enjoy volunteering my time to help agencies that support women throughout our area.

Lastly, but most importantly, I am looking forward to raising my children to be good humans in this world.

Pricing:

• My fee for a 50-minute session is $150 an hour
• I do accept Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance
• I also will provide a superbill to you to submit to your insurance company if you have out of network insurance. With this option, you pay my fee upfront and are reimbursed by your insurance.

Contact Info:

• Address: 8360 E. Via de Ventura, STE L-240
  Scottsdale, AZ 85258
  McCormick Ranch
• Website: onebreathhealing.com
• Phone: 4807796117
• Email: sarah@onebreathhealing.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/sarahbaummft

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