Sarah is a dual-certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS) and Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) with a foundation in disability studies and a passion for supporting children and families through life’s most challenging moments. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Therapeutic Recreation and a Master’s degree in Health and Human Physiology with a Child Life sub-track, both earned from the University of Iowa.
Sarah began her professional journey as a clinical Child Life Specialist at Children’s Wisconsin, providing developmentally appropriate psychosocial support to pediatric patients and their families. During her tenure, she primarily served in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU), but her work extended across multiple units and patient populations. Her clinical strengths include grief and bereavement support, sibling support, therapeutic play interventions, procedural preparation and support, providing emotional safety through normalization and expressive outlets, and implementation of individualized coping plans that are developmentally appropriate and family-centered.
Currently, Sarah serves as a Case Manager at Team IMPACT, a national nonprofit that connects children facing serious and chronic illnesses with college athletic teams in a mutually beneficial relationship of belonging, empowerment, and resilience. In this role, she brings her child life expertise into a community-based setting, helping to bring psychosocial support, facilitate peer connection, and bridge the gap between healthcare and everyday life, ensuring children continue to thrive in supportive, inclusive environments that prioritize their emotional and developmental well-being.
Driven by a deep commitment to holistic, strengths-based and trauma-informed care, Sarah is passionate about integrating therapeutic recreation and child life principles to support emotional expression, foster resilience, and empower children facing medical and life challenges.