Meet Sarah Lewis

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

Thanks for sharing your story with us Sarah. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Becoming a therapist is actually a second career for me. I first thought I wanted to be a pharmacist and so I spent the end of my senior year of high school and my undergrad years working in a pharmacy. I learned pretty quickly that pharmacists don’t always get to spend the one-on-one time with patients that I had originally thought.

So I ended up finishing my BA degree from DePaul University in Chicago pursuing communications and psychology still not sure what my passion was. Shortly before graduation, I was offered a retail management position. I was the first in my family to go to college and with the fear of paying for college loans weighing on me, I decided to give retail management a try. Well, it was definitely quite the experience and I am glad I will never work another Black Friday.

After a couple of years in management, I realized it was just not at all fulfilling for me–so I decided to pursue a different career path, but I wasn’t really sure where to start. I knew that I loved helping patients when I worked in the pharmacy, so I decided to look into healthcare-related positions. This is when I discovered social work and truly fell in love. At this point, I had also volunteered with an organization that provided companionship to isolated elders living in Chicago and a suicide prevention hotline. Through this volunteer work, I discovered my passion for mental health care and clinical social work.

I attended Jane Addams College of Social Work at the University of Illinois at Chicago. I have worked in a variety of treatment settings and with many different populations. After a couple of years in the field, I decided to start my own private practice in Illinois. While I loved growing up in Illinois, I felt like it wasn’t where I wanted to establish my roots. My husband and I then decided that we were ready to make a change. We were both born and raised in Illinois and had never lived in another state. We decided to take a risk and come out to San Diego. It was about eight weeks of living here before COVID hit, so it has definitely been quite the experience. After getting my license to practice in CA, I then started to invest in building my practice out here.

Has it been a smooth road?
There have definitely been some obstacles to getting started out here in San Diego. In order to become licensed to practice in CA, there is a lengthy application process and I also needed to take a law and ethics exam through the board of behavioral sciences. This process and my application was delayed due to COVID. When I finally became licensed to practice out here, I was so ecstatic. It was such a long journey, but I am so happy to have the privilege to serve San Diegoians.

We’d love to hear more about your practice.
My business is a private practice located in mission valley. I provide individual and family counseling to teens and adults. I specialize in working with teen girls and their families. I am a humanistic therapist and believe it is important for everyone to have access to quality mental health care. I am most proud of my ability to connect with my patients and be apart of their healing journeys. It is such a privilege to be able to create a safe space where people can feel heard.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I feel like San Diego is a great place to be a therapist and practice. I would absolutely recommend San Diego as a great place for mental health clinicians. One thing that can be improved however is access to care. I have found that it is challenging for patients to always find therapists that have openings and accept insurance. I hope that therapy and counseling services can become more accessible to the San Diego Community.

Pricing:

• 60 minute Individual Session $150
• 60 minute Family Session $150

Contact Info:

• Address: 2851 Camino Del Rio South Suite 300 San Diego, CA 92108
• Website: sarahlewislcsw.wordpress.com
• Phone: 6308094188
• Email: sarahlewislcsw@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahlewis_lcsw/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahlewislcsw/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/sarah-lewis-lcsw-san-diego

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