Meet Sarah Schiffres-Grove

Sarah Schiffres-Grove is a licensed clinical social worker providing counseling services at Brook Lane’s North Village outpatient office. She manages of caseload of nearly 100 clients ages 10 years and older. She works with individuals and families to help them with a variety of concerns ranging from mood and anxiety disorders, to trauma, substance use and family conflict.

Sarah’s mother was a life-long social worker and her first mentor. Growing up with a nurturing, helping parent, along with her own interest in helping others enticed her to seek a career in social work. She feels that her own personal experiences and hardships help her connect with her clients in an authentic, non-judgmental way.

Sarah’s counseling style leans heavily on a mindfulness-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) approach. She recently became certified in Trauma Focused CBT. She enjoys helping clients normalize their experiences and finds it particularly rewarding to see them heal and grow when they are permitted to fully express their feelings in an authentic way. She believes that offering, and role modeling, genuine compassion fosters self-compassion.

Sarah earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Salisbury University, a master’s degree in social work from the University of Maryland and a master’s degree in Jewish communal service from Baltimore Hebre University. She has been in the field of social work since 2005, starting with the Worcester County Health Departments’ Health on the Boards program. She later interned at Sinai Hospital and Jewish Family Services during graduate school, followed by a position as a behavior specialist at Brook Lane’s Laurel Hall School in Frederick. After working in the inpatient psychiatric unit at Carroll Hospital Center, she joined Behavioral Health Partners in Frederick. In 2015, Sarah accepted her current position with Brook Lane.

Sarah lives in Smithsburg, MD with her best friend and husband of 22 years, Ryan. They have three children: Elana, 8 and 6 year-old twin boys Aaron and Isaac. Their family also has two pitbulls named Lucy and Boaz. She loves running, biking, weight lifting, yoga and participating in sporting events like half-marathons and sprint triathlons. She enjoys being outdoors, attending music festivals and traveling.

One thing you might not know about Sarah is that before she honed in on her career in mental health, she was a licensed massage therapist!