Sarah Baar

  • Major: BA, Communication Disorders (Calvin); MA, Speech Pathology (Western Michigan)
  • Grad Year: 2006 (BA); 2008 (MA)
  • Hometown: Grand Rapids, Michigan

Walking through stroke recovery and rehabilitation as a family support member influenced Sarah Baar '06 to start her own speech therapy practice treating adults with brain injury, stroke, and dementia.

Current job and location: Owner of Bright Life Therapies, a private practice treating adults with brain injury, stroke, and dementia in the greater Grand Rapids area. Owner of Honeycomb Speech Therapy which creates person-centered and evidence-based speech therapy materials for other SLPs.

What facilities, people and experiences prepared you for a career in speech pathology and audiology?

As an undergraduate at Calvin in 2004, my dad was hospitalized with a stroke requiring speech therapy. Although this was a difficult experience, ultimately God worked this for the good! My dad made an excellent recovery, and this experience continued to influence me in my profession as a medical speech-language pathologist working with those with stroke and other brain changes. Because of my dad’s experience, my journey as an SLP includes a successful business that creates therapy materials for other SLPs so that their therapy can be more meaningful, functional, and relevant for the clients they work with.

How have you learned to apply your faith to clinical practice?

My work as a clinical SLP is a calling, and I hope to “work at it with all my heart, as working for the Lord and not for men.” Because of this mindset, I hope my work as a speech-language pathologist not only improves the direct lives of the clients I work with, but I also hope to positively influence my profession with the therapy materials I create. I want to leave this world a better place, all in the name of working for the Lord.

What’s one thing you would want to tell someone starting their journey at Calvin?

The field of speech-pathology offers the best of everything--a lot of heart, soul and relationships, along with critical thinking. What an honor it is to walk with people in some of the toughest moments of their lives, and what an opportunity to show love.

What led you to decide on this current career/aspect of speech-language pathology?

My private practice, Bright Life Therapies, was a unique solution to some access issues I saw when I worked for a large rehab system. Many times transportation or cost of therapy became an issue for patients. I addressed those issues when I started Bright Life Therapies by deciding to travel to patient homes and offer low-cost therapy if a person had insurance coverage issues.

What are some of the challenges and rewards in your current job?

Although dealing with the red-tape of Medicare and other insurances can be a headache, I am regularly rewarded by the work I do directly with patients in their home environments. My biggest reward comes when a patient I am working with starts to participate in their own life again, whether it’s using a phone, writing appointments down in a planner, or going on a vacation! It’s a privilege to meet so many unique people and to use my professional knowledge to meet their unique cognitive and communication goals.

What about Calvin specifically prepared you for this career?

An education at Calvin College doesn’t just prepare someone for the “What” to do, but also the “Why!” Because of the strong education I received, I had the confidence to speak out and start a movement within the medical speech-language pathology field to promote better treatment methods and materials that align with person-centered care. With the materials I offer through Honeycomb Speech Therapy, I know that critically thinking through the “Why” allowed me to create materials that have benefitted tens of thousands of patients throughout the world.