Her Story
About Sidnee
Sidnee Sawyer is a therapist who has been practicing for about four years since completing her internship. She provides CBT and DBT interventions to adolescents and their families and utilizes a trauma-informed approach, particularly with populations facing low-income challenges, poverty, homelessness, and foster care. Her work focuses on building resilience, distress tolerance, and self-reflection in clients. Sidnee began her career at Refuge, a non-profit organization in Illinois offering free counseling, and is transitioning to private practice at Cohen Counseling and Wellness Center. She is DBT certified through Evergreen. Sidnee earned her undergraduate degree from SIUE, where she initially double-majored in psychology and criminal justice before making criminal justice a minor, and she completed her graduate studies at McKendree University. She takes pride in helping implement a school-based mental health counseling program in 2022 that provided on-site resources for students. Sidnee attributes her success to strong family support and her passion for continuous learning.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Sidnee
01What do you attribute your success to?
I had a lot of support from my own family. I'm very grateful for them, because I don't think I would have been able to reach some of my goals due to financial strains, but my family was able to help with that. I also love to learn new things all the time, so this field was perfect for me because there's something new to learn every day.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Ask all the questions, like don't be afraid to ask questions or compare yourself to the other clinicians. Everyone started somewhere, and everyone wants to give some proper guidance, but sometimes you have to be able to speak up for yourself or ask the question yourself.
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