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SaraKay Smullens,
M.S.W., L.C.S.W., B.C.D., has been a marriage and family counselor in
private practice for more than twenty years. She is a frequent guest
columnist in area publications and has appeared on
Oprah, as well as numerous radio and television interview programs.
Considered a
social-worker activist
in the prevention of emotional and domestic abuse, SaraKay has dedicated
her life to helping people develop the attitudes and skills they need to
recognize abuse and eradicate it from their lives and the lives of their
children. Smullens was one of the first
people to advocate for the inclusion of clergy in addressing the myriad
psychological problems that plague our society, such as domestic violence
and other abuses, and called their awareness and education about these
issues "the missing link." This is because clergy are usually the first
place people turn when they are hurting and overwhelmed. (See
Sabbath of
Domestic Peace, below.)
Smullens holds a Master’s Degree
in Social Work (M.S.W.) from the University of Pennsylvania and is an
accredited family therapist, family life educator, and group therapist who
has achieved the highest degree of clinical social work expertise as a
licensed Board-certified Diplomate (B.C.D.). She has taught at Temple
University, Hahnemann Medical University and the Philadelphia College of
the Arts and has worked for the Society to Protect Children, the
Philadelphia Psychiatric Hospital, and as a family counselor and Director
of Family Life Education at Jewish Family Services of Philadelphia. She
has had a private practice of individual, marital, family and group
psychotherapy for more than twenty years.
During her years as a single
parent and the early years of her second marriage, Smullens was a
columnist and writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer, writing on
relationships, social issues, and public policy. Since that time she has
continued to write op-eds, columns and articles for various newspapers,
applying psychological insights to social and political issues, often
cushioning stark realities with humor to make her points. Through the
years she has appeared on numerous national and local radio and television
programs and is invited to present at
conferences and public venues on a regular basis.
Smullens’ expertise draws from her
patients' experiences and her own experience with emotional abuse as a
child. Born in Baltimore, she grew up watching as well as being the
target of an emotionally abusive family. She married during graduate
school and had two children. After 12 years, divorce was necessary.
After several years as a single parent she married again, and has been
happily married for over twenty years.
Beyond the many
dozens of
articles she has penned, Smullens has written two groundbreaking books about the recognition and
healing of emotional abuse. Her first book,
Whoever Said Life
is Fair? focuses on rising above tragedy and pain, reaching out to
the world, and finding joy. Her most recent book,
Setting
YourSelf Free (Breaking the Cycle of Emotional Abuse in Family,
Friendships, Work and Love), is an inspirational handbook which
identifies five cycles of emotional abuse and offers compassionate,
practical advice on how to end those cycles.
In 1994, SaraKay founded
the Sabbath of Domestic Peace, a
coalition that addresses the prevalence of domestic violence. It
includes clergy of all faiths, plus social workers and representatives
from law enforcement.
It is interdisciplinary and interfaith in scope, and concentrates its
efforts on preventing domestic violence by raising awareness and providing
education and resource materials.
Especially in these
troubled times, SaraKay describes herself as "on a mission to encourage
people to learn to think about, frame, understand, address, confront and
solve problems and challenges psychologically...."
The mother of four,
SaraKay and her husband live in Philadelphia.
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