FFT Partners is pleased to announce the addition of Sasha-Noelle Udom to our organization as a Senior FFT Consultant. Sasha-Noelle joins us with a wealth of experience both in FFT work and internationally, where she served 2 years in the Peace Corps in Thailand. In her work with the Peace Corp, Sasha-Noelle collaborated with international and local agencies to develop programming to enrich and empower youth, implemented the programming for over 400 youth, assisted in training other volunteers and conducted assessments on validity of the programing. Her work in the Peace Corp marked a turning point in her life.
Although Sasha-Noelle had previous experience as an individual and family therapist after graduating with her MSW from the University of Georgia in 2012, she feels her Peace Corps experience “only grew my love for working with families and helping them make sustainable change. Upon my return to the US, I knew I wanted to work with kids and their families.”
In 2015, Sasha-Noelle moved to Brooklyn, NY and began work on a pilot program, PICHO, that focused on FFT for Behavioral Health. Through the model she “…helped clients and families become the best versions of themselves”. Sasha found that, “watching the impact FFT had on these families, who had been in the system for so long, without any change or shift in understanding, was life changing. As I moved on from therapist to supervisor, I was able to help other clinicians learn FFT and watched them experience the same thing.”
Sasha-Noelle appreciates FFT because it aligns with the first principle she learned in graduate school – that is meeting families where they are at. Sasha says, “I have such an appreciation for FFT because it works to do just that. I have worked directly with families from all different backgrounds and beliefs and FFT approaches each in a way that matches their experience/background but also helps families make sustainable change.”
The ability to work with all people and situations is one of the top things that drew Sasha-Noelle to FFT. Sasha-Noelle says, “One of my mottos in PICHO was “if not us then who” and that perspective came with the knowledge that FFT had such a broad reach.“
FFT Partners is excited to have Sasha-Noelle as part of our team as we continue to grow and evolve.