Sarah Y. Rubin, ATR-BC, LCAT, CCLS is a board certified creative arts therapist and child life specialist who supports children and families coping with physical illness and psychosocial trauma. She is native to the area, attending the University School of Nashville and then went on to obtain her B.A. at Tulane University. Thereafter, Sarah achieved a Masters in Art Therapy at New York University Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development, and later helped to develop the child life and creative art therapy program at The Hertzberg Palliative Care Institute at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. Sarah has extensive experience in bereavement support and palliative care.
Experience
Sarah has over 8 years of experience working with patients and families in inpatient units and outpatient settings. She has served pediatric hematology/oncology clinics, pediatric intensive care units, and palliative care units in New York City where she supported adult patients, and their children. Sarah has also served children facing familial loss, trauma and abuse in Dangriga, Belize and Udaipur, India. Sarah has presented nationally and internationally on creative arts therapy interventions in medical environments, and facilitates art-based self-care groups for those in the helping professions.
Therapeutic Approach
Sarah is a warm and empowering professional that relies on various expressive modalities including creative writing/story-telling, therapeutic play and the use of art-based mindfulness techniques for stress reduction. She is passionate in helping children and families experience connection and find meaning in life's most challenging events. Sarah employs a strengths-based approach, a philosophy that considers an individual's strengths, resourcefulness and resiliency, and draws upon humanistic frameworks. She collaborates closely with other health professionals to best support the social-emotional and developmental needs of your child.
Published Writing
Rubin, S. Y. & Smith, L. D. (2019). On Becoming Whole: Paul’s Journey Through Heart Transplant. In M. Berberian & B. Davis (Eds.) Art Therapy Practices for Resilient Youth: A Strengths-Based Approach to At-Promise Children and Adolescents, New York: Routledge.
Rubin, S. Y. (2019). An Art Therapist’s Approach to Total Pain. In M. Wood, B. Jacobson and H. Cridford (Eds.) The International Handbook of Art Therapy in Palliative and Bereavement Care. New York: Routledge.
Rubin, S. Y. (2019). Perspectives on Supportive Care: Supportive Art Making as a Therapeutic Tool for Nurses in Pediatric Nursing Journal Vol. 45 No. 2. Pp. 95-98.
Rubin, S. Y. & Smith, L. D. (2017). Can You Help Me Say Goodbye? Sibling Loss and Bereavement Support in the Healthcare Environment. In B. MacWilliam (Ed.) Complicated Grief, Attachment, and Art Therapy: Theory, Treatment, and 14 Ready-to-Use Protocols, (pp. 249-262). London, England: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Rubin, S. Y. & Smith, L. D. (2017). Vicarious Trauma: Supporting Bereavement and Self-Care Practice Through Art Therapy for Healthcare Providers. In B. MacWilliam (Ed.) Complicated Grief, Attachment, and Art Therapy: Theory, Treatment, and 14 Ready-to-Use Protocols, (pp. 249-262). London, England: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Credentials
New York State Licensed Creative Arts Therapist (LCAT)
Nationally Registered and Board Certified Art Therapist (ATR-BC)
Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS)