S3: Ep 47: Connection: Real, Messy, Authentic

Sarah Fitzgibbons, LMHC, MT-BC, IMH-E®, spends most of her time thinking about how humans develop and connect, being an imperfect parent, feeling multiple feelings at one time, trying to eradicate shame and build connections, belly laughing, and striving for balance. Professionally, she has spent more than 20 years practicing, researching, supervising, teaching, and developing programs in the field of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health, with specific expertise in infants and young children impacted by trauma, loss, attachment disruptions, child welfare, and parent-child relationship assessments. Sarah currently works as the Vice President of Programs and Practices at The Society for the Protection and Care of Children (SPCC) in Rochester, NY where she oversees multiple IECMH-embedded, multidisciplinary programs.

With Sarah's leadership, SPCC has been strategically working to advance Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health competencies and increase cross-sector policies and practices locally and state-wide since 2012. SPCC has been a leading trainer in Western New York in the field of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health and Reflective Supervision and Consultation. Sarah is an instructor of Infant Mental Health and Reflective Practice/Supervision coursework at The Warner School of Education (University of Rochester). In 2015, Sarah participated in the inaugural cohort of IECMH experts across New York State to become Endorsed®. 

She is Co-Chair for the NYS-AIMH board and serves as the Endorsement Committee Chairperson. Sarah actively works with local, state, and national IECMH leaders to advance the field, ensure fidelity, change policy, and increase capacity through initiatives and collaborative efforts. Sarah is deeply committed to cultivating and nurturing IECMH expertise across our community and state through relationship-based, culturally sensitive practice, teaching, reflective supervision, and consultation. Sarah holds a bachelor's degree in music therapy, a master's degree in Counseling Psychology from Naropa University and completed post-master's training in Infant Mental Health through the University of Colorado (The Kempe Center). 

She is currently working on her doctoral dissertation on the associations between reflective supervision quality and practitioner reflective capacity at the University of Rochester. Above all other training, education, experience, and license, Sarah has been most deeply challenged, enriched, and inspired in her work through her role as a mother and daughter.

Mentor:

In this current season, it's Eva Marie Shivers and the amazing group of folks at the Indigo Cultural Center.

Links: 

SPCC

NYSAIMH

University of Rochester

GRHF

CCSI, Inc.

Irving Harris

Diversity Informed Tenets

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