Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) welcomed Sara Julian, MSW, LCSW, as a MINDful Colleges Connections (MCC) Campus Counselor. Sara earned her bachelor’s degree in recreation and sports management with a concentration in recreation management and youth leadership from Indiana State University (ISU).
Julian brings over six years of experience to The Woods. After earning her degree, Julian completed an internship at the ISU Counseling Center. From there, Julian worked locally for a community mental health agency where she provided counseling and mental health services. “That position provided me with many growth opportunities, which I’m always looking for. I saw the position open at SMWC through the MINDful Colleges Connections program, and I thought it would be a great opportunity,” Julian said. Julian also earned her master’s in social work from ISU.
In addition to being a certified nonprofit professional, Julian is excited to offer new ideas for the counseling center to benefit The Woods community. “I’m excited to really get involved on campus, do some outreach presentations and get to know students,” Julian said, “I love all the natural beauty of the campus here. I like to lean into ecotherapy, which is utilizing nature as part of your healing process, so I’m looking forward to pursuing opportunities with that.”
Along with her counseling work, Julian is an animal lover who owns five dogs and two cats. She enjoys being outdoors. “Given my area of interest with ecotherapy, it’s no shock that I love being outdoors,” Julian shared.
Along with unique program ideas for SMWC, Julian looks forward to growing the Counseling Center services with SMWC Campus Counselor Melissa Grinslade. “There’s always going to be areas for us to navigate. We hope that those times allow us to form better ways to serve students and the community,” Julian said.
Grinslade shared that she also looks forward to collaborating with Sara. “Sara and I have worked as a team for several years. I am excited for the innovative opportunities for mental health awareness, prevention and treatment that we will bring to the SMWC community,” Grinslade said.
As the fall semester continues, Julian is thrilled to be at The Woods and looks forward to the future of the Counseling Center at SMWC. “My time here so far has been amazing. Everyone knows one another on a first-name basis, and I really like that. It shows that you matter to that person and that you’re a part of a bigger picture.”