Chicago Mind’s Community Coordinator and Office Manager,

Sarah Hormanski (they/them)

My name is Sarah Hormanski (they/them), and I’m the Community Organizer and Office Manager for Chicago Minds. I’ve been with Chicago Minds for the last three and a half years, during which time I’ve learned a great deal about therapy. My colleague Teddy Neer interviewed me about my journey at Chicago Minds and my experience returning to school to become a therapist.

I’m Teddy Neer (he/him), the Office Coordinator at Chicago Minds. Today, I’m happy to interview my coworker, Sarah Hormanski (they/them). 

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Hey Sarah! How are you doing today?

Hey Teddy! I’m doing great, sipping on some tea. How are you? 

I’m doing pretty well. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? 

Where do I start? Well, I’m the Community Coordinator and Office Manager at Chicago Minds. I was Chicago Minds’ first employee about three and a half years ago, but I’m also a Queer, Trans artist and a therapist in training. I’ve been in Chicago for about six years and love this city. I’ve done a handful of community organizing since moving here, which drew me to Chicago Minds because of its mission of healing with community. 

That’s awesome! The company’s emphasis on community was a big reason I wanted to be at Chicago Minds, too. I’ve also always valued and appreciated mental health professionals. One thing I know about you, but our readers don’t, is that you’re studying to become a therapist. Can you tell us a little bit about that? Is that something you’ve always wanted to do?

Of course, so being a therapist was never a part of my original plans; I went to art school in Minneapolis right after graduating from high school. I received a Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurial Studies, where I learned how to help build start-up companies, marketing, and advertising. However, I’ve seen a therapist since I was seventeen, and since then, I’ve played around with the idea of becoming a therapist. The pivotal moment when I realized that I wanted to be a therapist was when I started working at Chicago Minds and talking with the therapists we work with about their experiences. That’s when this idea became a reality of what I want to do with my career. 

You mentioned that becoming a therapist appealed to you because of the therapist community at Chicago Minds. In my day-to-day experience, I see the therapists and have gotten to know some of them, but you have much more of an understanding of their profession. Can you describe how they inspired you? 

My first therapist, whose name ironically was Sarah, was the first person to inspire me to become a therapist. I remember that she was the first person who made me feel valid and made me believe that it was possible to live a quality life while navigating my mental health. I see that same mindset among the Chicago Minds therapists, who value and respect their clients and help them navigate life in the face of adversity. I think it’s valuable and rare to encounter charismatic people who prioritize empathy and a desire to help others.

Those are essential characteristics for therapists to have. In my limited experience here, I’ve noticed that although I’m not their client, I receive care and support from the therapists. Is that what you’ve experienced?

Absolutely. It’s been incredible to bond with the therapists and witness them connecting. We have a strong community here at Chicago Minds, and I’m grateful to know such wonderful people who support my becoming a therapist. Our connections with them are genuine and caring; they aren’t transaction-based. 

Seeing a community that aligns with your values must be refreshing. I know that you want to see people live healthier lives, and it sounds like you’ve found a community where that is the primary goal. 

100%—it’s so refreshing to be a part of a safe and supportive community. I feel that I’ve connected in some way with almost all the therapists who are members of Chicago Minds. It’s cool to see our community grow from 70 members to roughly 200 members. People crave genuine connection and community with each other, especially in the mental health industry, and in the times we live in. 

 Would you consider yourself a pillar of support to whom people can come? 

I’m the friend in my circle who people rely on for stability, ask for favors, or trust with their pets and emergency keys. That’s part of who I am; I’m the connector in my friend groups. I see a reflection of that here at Chicago Minds; as the Community Coordinator, I do a lot of connecting and forging relationships among the therapists. I take a lot of pride in and love having the opportunity to do that and seeing a positive outcome.

I agree, it’s been amazing to get to know the therapists personally and see them build relationships. You mentioned that you got your undergrad in entrepreneurship. Can you describe more moments that made you want to become a therapist? How did you go from someone who just graduated with a Bachelor’s in entrepreneurship to wanting to become a therapist? 

It was during quarantine that I lost both of my jobs due to COVID, which triggered me to ask myself, “What am I doing with my life?”. I thought about how therapy positively impacted my life and wanted to do the same for others. All of this led me to consider social work. After some heavy research, I found the job posting for Chicago Minds, which is when I started thinking that being a therapist could become a reality for me. 

As you mentioned, as someone who’s benefited from therapy and was interested in it, there was a connection, but what drew you to Chicago Minds? What initially appealed to you about the job?

The job posting was for a “Community Assistant,” which I had never heard of before. However, I knew I had to apply once I read the description, where I could assist therapists, coordinate events to build community, and help this small company with its mission of healing with community. After a couple of interviews with our founders, Tracy and Tianni, I became the first employee hired at Chicago Minds and was thrilled. After I was hired, I started to build our event calendar. I brainstormed how to bring therapists back in person and build our community safely: our whole mission is healing with community, and doing that virtually wouldn’t last forever. Our company and space have changed a lot. We’ve expanded upstairs, adding two therapy rooms and an event space, and we’ve hired you! 

Healing and building with community is our top priority here, so I understand why this job is such a good fit for you. You described how working at Chicago Minds was how you started discovering your interest in becoming a therapist. What’s happened in the past couple of years that made you go from interested in being a therapist to taking the plunge and starting the coursework to become one? 

I decided to pursue this career for a couple of reasons. For starters, I’m in a more stable position time-wise and emotionally. This is the first time in my life that I haven’t had to work two jobs, so I have more emotional capacity and time to invest in my education. I’ve spent time figuring out what my goals and future look like. Ultimately, I reached a point where I was reading psychology books for fun. So, I looked at various therapy graduate programs and found that I lacked the 12 psychology credits required to apply to most programs. This led me to start remote classes at Harold Washington this last Spring to accumulate those credits. I will finish those credits at the end of next Fall. 

What type of therapist do you want to be? There are several different types! I’ve been seeing LCSWs, LCPs, LCPCs, etc. What do you want to do? 

I wanted to be an art therapist, but few programs offer that in Chicago. The program I was looking at was SAIC, which was paused last year. I also looked at the art therapy program at Adler, but it’s expensive. So I’ve had to change gears and am now looking to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker at UIC. From my research, I believe that getting an LCSW license will give me more job opportunities, and I’ll still be able to include my love and interest in art with that degree. I think that’s the career journey – you do what you need to make it work, and get whatever degree you need to do what you’re passionate about. The act of therapy is not so much about where you received your education from, or what your title is, but more so, what kind of personality do you have, are you able to do the emotional labor that is required: do you have what it takes to be a therapist, can you connect with people?

One thing about this job that was surprising and eye-opening for me was that I went from seeing a therapist once a week and only seeing them as my therapist, to seeing–and interacting with–dozens of therapists outside of their sessions, while they’re living their everyday lives. What’s your experience been with that? How has that shaped your idea of what it means to be a therapist? 

My experience working with therapists has humbled the person behind the “therapist”. In the past, I’ve put them on a pedestal and imagined that they knew all the answers, because of the great experiences I’ve had in therapy. Now, seeing the workings of the people behind the therapist title has helped me see them as equals because they also have their own problems they’re working through. It’s been eye-opening to see that as much as these therapists help us, and therapize us to hopefully make positive steps to live a better life, at the end of the day, outside of those 50 minutes, they’re still human too. I am even more grateful for therapists because they have to hold so much emotional space and still run their own practices – it’s a lot of hard work!

Have the therapists at Chicago Minds prepared you to be a therapist in some ways?

Absolutely. Because the therapists here are authentically themselves, I feel inspired to do the same, which makes me feel less intimidated for my first therapy session with a client. They’ve also prepared me with tools to become a better therapist. I’m sure there will be days when my clients challenge me or I don’t say the right things. But there will be other days when I will say the right things and feel confident in my knowledge and skill set. 

Another interesting thing about your journey is that many people follow a more “traditional path” to becoming a therapist. They might already know they want to be a therapist in high school or college, and plan their academic journey accordingly. In contrast, you’ve taken a different approach by taking time between getting degrees. You also didn’t take psychology courses as an undergraduate, nor did you plan to be a therapist. That sounds like it can be intimidating or scary. How’s that been for you? 

It’s intimidating to take a new route in my career. I’ve questioned whether I wasted money on my undergrad and whether I will waste more money going to graduate school. There are many questions and “what-ifs”, but once you are honest with yourself and figure out the specifics, it’s worth it. I always give kudos to those who take their time between high school and college because their brains become more developed, and they can take a break to figure out their passion and what makes sense to them career-wise. Doing exactly that led me to where I am now. Any education we receive is beneficial because we gain knowledge and skillsets regardless. There are ways to invest in your future affordably, too. Research is the best thing you can do for yourself in those moments of confusion – go down the rabbit holes of the internet, and you might find something that inspires you.

It’s inspiring to know that one can make that pivot; many of us get that degree and feel it’s wasted if we pursue another career path. What resonates with me is that if you want to do something completely new, then do it. You don’t need to follow a path or base your career on whatever you got your degree in. Where do you see your career as a therapist going? 

Once I get my LCSW, I plan on working in community mental health for the first years of my career because public-facing experiences are essential. I plan to stay in Chicago for most of my life and career. Chicago is home to me; this city has supported me through hard times, and I want to give that back to my community. There’s a vast need for trans, and queer therapists and I want to provide that service to those communities that especially need that support. Therapy isn’t accessible, especially with the current administration, so working in community mental health is going to be important in these upcoming years. Eventually, I would love to start my own practice, and maybe I’ll end up at Chicago Minds, not working for them, but being a therapist with them. 

Thank you for sharing! It excites me that my time at Chicago Minds has just begun. I hope I get the chance to explore and experience as much as you have, and I’m looking forward to continuing on your journey to becoming a therapist.