Yes She Can Job Coach and Program Advisor Retires.
When I opened Girl AGain boutique in Hartsdale as a proof-of-concept in February, 2014, I put out a call through my autism network seeking a clinical professional to help me with job coaching young women with autism. Sheri Baron, PhD, responded to that request and joined as a volunteer with Yes She Can.
After three and a half years of intensive service to our organization, Dr. Baron is leaving Yes She Can. I want to thank her for her inestimable work and wisdom in helping Yes She Can become a reality.
Sheri has a demanding career as a psychotherapist working with individuals with autism – and she saw many of her clients from their toddler years through high school and even college. Dr. Baron says in her blog post, Diplomas are not enough. Scholastic ability is not enough to obtain a meaningful job. “We were not adequately teaching or helping to develop those skills and traits that matter most on a job: motivation, social skills, emotional regulation, responsibility and dependability.”
Dr. Baron recognized the need for an intensive and immersive learning experience to teach the skills needed to become a successful employee. In her role with Yes She Can, Sheri was instrumental in establishing our coaching methods; defining the segment we serve; articulating our program goals; and creating and implementing our candidate intake process. She developed instructional tools to teach trainees the business processes, and designed and tested our initial assessment tools.
Sheri derived great satisfaction in working one-on-one with trainees; first in our tiny location in Hartsdale, NY (where when there were two trainees, Sheri and myself in the store at one time then one of us had to step out when a customer came in!) and in our White Plains location. Sheri coached on Thursdays and Fridays, often working with three trainees at a time, each with different social and emotional needs, as well as abilities. Not only did she serve as a volunteer coach, but she also spent hours counseling parents of trainees pro bono.
The trainees loved working with Sheri; they appreciated her understanding of their challenges and her focus on helping them stretch and develop their social skills. They held a retirement party for Sheri on her last day.
We will all miss Sheri, her professional expertise and her personal concern for those she worked with at Girl Again.
In addition to coaching, Dr. Baron served on the Board of Directors of Yes She Can and helped guide the strategic plan for the organization. Along with volunteer job coach Pat Rowan, Sheri was a member of our original program development team.
While volunteering with Yes She Can, Sheri continued with her private clients, arranging her therapy schedule so she could commit to coaching when trainees were available. In addition to her career and family, Sheri enjoys her time on the court playing competitive tennis.
The board members of Yes She Can join me in thanking Dr. Sheri Baron for her time, talent and treasure to our organization. She has been an invaluable member of the team!
By Marjorie Madfis, President, Yes She Can Inc.
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