At the young age of 10, Sarah Atkinson was already thinking about things like purpose, self-worth, the meaning of life, and other weighty topics. In high school, one of her favorite books was Man’s Search for Meaning by Austrian neurologist and psychologist Viktor Frankl.
So when it came time to head off to college and choose a potential career path, Atkinson was drawn naturally toward psychology. She graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s College of Arts and Sciences in 2018 with a degree in psychology, then received a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from UAB in 2022.
“I was always an existential-type kid,” said Atkinson. “I enjoyed psychology because it’s essentially the study of humans and human behavior, and how everything interacts with one another from a psychological perspective. I found that fascinating. I wanted to study that and learn more about it, and eventually be able to help people who are going through very difficult times in their life.”
Atkinson began doing precisely that within two weeks of receiving her master’s degree from UAB by joining the Warrior Wellness Group practice in Alabaster, Alabama. Since then, she has received her Licensed Professional Counselor certificate, and currently provides therapy services for the treatment of depression, anxiety-related disorders, grief and loss, life transitions, post-traumatic stress, and conduct-related disorders.
“I try to provide support and perspective, and help quell any anxiety or nervous thoughts my clients might be having,” said Atkinson. “I’m very grateful to be the person they go to who listens to them and tries to provide something they might not have anywhere else in their life.”
Atkinson says the foundation for all her professional knowledge came from her time at UAB, where she was able to learn through both classroom work and numerous research opportunities.
“One of my favorite things about UAB was there were so many different courses you could take, and faculty members who were engaged and willing to help,” said Atkinson. “My favorite class was about mental-health diagnosis and psychotherapy treatment. It was very enlightening. It gave me a good overview of what it would be like to work in the mental-health field.
“That’s when I fell in love with the idea of therapy and being able to help individuals who struggle with mental health. Then I did some research with faculty members there and was astounded by the different types of opportunities. I didn’t have to try to look for research opportunities. I had plenty of options to pick from.”
While Atkinson says she eventually might be interested in opening her own practice, for the foreseeable future she plans simply to continue working, learning, and providing therapy assistance to anybody seeking it.
“UAB gave me a lot of growth experiences that have helped me early in my career,” said Atkinson. “Now I want to keep learning about more and different types of therapy, and figuring out how I can best help my clients.”
