Staff Spotlight - Meet Sarah, Lead Counselor!

My name is Sarah Postich and I serve as Breakthru’s Lead Counselor. I am passionate about helping women to empower themselves, to heal, and grow on their journey of recovery.  Prior to obtaining both my Specialist in Education and Master of Science degrees in Professional Counseling at Georgia State University, I completed my undergraduate studies in Psychology at the University of Georgia. As a Licensed Associate Professional Counselor in the state of Georgia and a National Certified Counselor, I hold memberships in the American Counseling Association (ACA) and Licensed Professional Counselors Association of Georgia (LPCA).

I have had the privilege to learn and work in a variety of mental health settings. I completed my master’s degree internship at Skyland Trail, which is a residential facility that serves individuals diagnosed with Depression, Bipolar Disorder, and Schizophrenia. I have professional experience as a Case Manager at Ridgeview Institute, a psychiatric hospital that provides inpatient stabilization and outpatient services to clients struggling with mental health or substance issues. In addition, I provide individual and group counseling in the private sector during the evenings and weekends.

In my time here, I have come to love Breakthru House for several reasons. One is because of the mission of our program. I am amazed at the services we offer our women and believe that we provide one of few holistic treatment programs to women that would be unable to receive treatment elsewhere. I find it exceedingly important that women receive both group and individual counseling on a weekly basis as research highlights the benefits of both,  and our women do receive both treatment modalities here. In addition, I love that Breakthru House is long term. Research shows that the longer an individual remains sober and in treatment the higher the likelihood they will remain sober. Very few residential treatment programs allow their residents to stay 12-18months. This is a rare privilege Breakthru House can offer its women.

Recovery Month Proclamation at the Georgia Capitol!

New Groups at Breakthru House!

by Melanie Storrusten, LCSW, Clinical Coordinator

We have modified our group schedule at Breakthu House to include a new group: Sober Support Skills! These groups will introduce new activities that have been shown to support sustained recovery in various ways. These group activities will include exercise, art, meditation, and leisure skills (games, movies, etc.).

Each of these types of activities have been shown through research to benefit and support sustained recovery in various ways.

It is important to not only encourage clients to participate in these activities in their free time, but to set aside group time to introduce new methods of exercise, relaxation and meditation, creative expression, and leisure to clients, as well as to give them an opportunity to practice these skills. It is natural human behavior that we are more likely to do an activity later when we have already begun the action! So, when we practice a meditation technique or exercise activity in group, it allows clients to experience for themselves, "hey, this is actually helpful! (and fun!)" Then they are much more likely to continue the behavior in their free time and continuing on after treatment to enhance and support their recovery efforts.

For further reading on how each of these types of activities are supportive of recovery, you may want to check out some of these articles!


Benefits of Exercise in Addiction Treatment and Recovery
"Active Replacement" - Benefits of Leisure Skills, including Exercise in Addiction Treatment and Recovery
Benefits of Meditation in Addiction Treatment and Recovery
Benefits of Meditation in Addiction Treatment and Recovery (second article)
Creative Arts Therapy and Addiction Treatment and Recovery
Women in Recovery from Alcoholism: The Place of Leisure
Therapeutic Recreation and Addiction Treatment

To read more about another new group at Breakthru House that focuses on creating safety to address trauma and addiction, please see our article about our new Seeking Safety curriculum!