Irreverent Growth

What is irreverent growth? How do you get help for mental health when you aren't a part of the "just be positive and say affirmations" crowd? How do you find your peeps that will go deep with you and not be afraid of catching "negative cooties"? What does it look like to be irreverent and be conscious?

Join our guests, Sarah Buino and Roxanne McDonald, with our host Kristin Walker for a funny and profound discussion about all of the above!

Sarah Buino, LCSW, CADC, CDWF is a therapist, teacher, speaker and the founder of Head/Heart Therapy, Inc. She is a licensed clinical social worker, certified addictions counselor, and Certified Daring WayTM facilitator. She holds a masters degree from Loyola University in Chicago and specializes in shame, substance use disorders, and trauma. She has trained in a variety of therapy modalities including: NARM (neuro-affective relational model), sensorimotor psychotherapy, comprehensive energy psychology, psychodrama/experiential therapy, and shame-resilience. She uses each of these modalities as a framework to support resilience within her clients and create a space for self-knowledge and growth.

Over the last decade, Sarah has gained experience in the social work field by supporting adolescents, adults, and families struggling with the difficulties of addiction. In 2014, Head/Heart Therapy was born and it quickly grew to be a successful well-respected group practice in Chicago.

Sarah became part of Loyola University’s School of Social Work adjunct faculty in 2015 and Fordham University’s adjunct faculty in 2019. She is committed to supporting the newest generation of social workers to become passionate about and competent in working with substance use disorders.

Sarah is also the host of a podcast called Conversations with a Wounded Healer, which examines the parallel path of healing self, while supporting our clients. She’s interviewed prominent guests such as Lissa Rankin, Chris Grosso, Hillary McBride, and Sera Beak.

In 2017, Sarah was honored by NASW’s Illinois Chapter by being recognized as an Emerging Leader. The Emerging Leader is an “early” career social worker who has demonstrated exemplary leadership, expertise, and dedication to the profession in the state of Illinois, whose contributions enhance practice knowledge and/or the capacity of the profession and the human service to obtain resources and influence. Other awards include the Humility Award (2014) from Sierra Tucson’s Gratitude for Giving event as well as the Rising Star Award (2018) from the Illinois Association of Addiction Professionals.

Sarah has always valued authenticity as a critical component of whole-hearted living. Since hearing Dr. Brené Brown speak in the winter of 2009, she has been sharing the concepts of shame-resilience, authenticity, and vulnerability with her clients. She completed training with Brené Brown’s team in 2013 and is a Certified Daring WayTM facilitator (CDWF).

Sarah is also knowledgeable about the benefits of various adjunct techniques for wellbeing, and is a certified Reiki Master. Reiki is a form of energy healing that encourages the release of oxytocin to reduce pain and increase the body’s ability to repair itself mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually.

In her spare time, Sarah is a musician and sings in musical groups around the Chicagoland area. She’s passionate about being the best version of herself and commits to a daily meditation and spiritual practice. She also loves tattoos and changing her hair cut and color often.

www.headhearttherapy.com

Roxan McDonald has dedicated herself to helping people find their voice both on the page and in their lives. She currently leads writing groups in Santa Cruz, Carmel, and Monterey. Roxan co-teaches with Ellen Bass at Esalen Institute. For fourteen years she was on the management team of two alternative high schools focused on serving at-risk youth. Roxan taught creative writing, poetry, and memoir writing in alternative schools and produced eleven anthologies of student writing. She has studied with Ellen Bass, Marcy Allencraig, Joseph Stroud, Barbara Bloom, Jessica Brown, and Andy Courturier. She is an alum of the Community of Writers at Squaw Valley, Breadloaf Sicily and is a member of Cheryl Strayed's Writers Camp. Roxan won the Mary Lonnberg Smith Award in poetry and her short stories, memoir excerpts, and poetry have been published in The Porter Gulch Review. She won the Eshleman Scholarship for the Community of Writers at Squaw Valley. Roxan received an honorable mention in nonfiction for the San Miguel de Allende Writers' Conference Writing Contest for an excerpt from her memoir. Roxan holds a BA in Interdisciplinary Education from California Institute of Integral Studies and an MFA in Creative Writing from Pacific University.

www.roxannemcdonald.com