Staff Spotlight: Sarah Taylor

Group Home Manager, Gatling House

Sarah Taylor came to United Counseling Service (UCS) in 2022 as a Direct Support Professional (DSP) and worked her way up to the position of Group Home Manager of Gatling House, a residential home for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). She believes that a good manager doesn’t just sit behind a desk, but prioritizes spending time communicating with clients and staff.

“I don’t want to be known as the manager behind the desk,” says Sarah. “I want it to be known that I’m out there and people feel supported. I think that’s really important. It’s just having those relationships and taking five minutes to play cards, color, or dance with a client—just taking those little moments and knowing your people.”

Before coming to UCS, Sarah participated in the Licensed Nurse Assistant (LNA) class at the Center for Living and Rehabilitation (CLR) at Southwestern Vermont Health Medical Center (SVMC), where she worked for five years. She then worked at Crescent Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, as well as Bennington Project Independence, followed by her first role at UCS as a DSP. Working in direct patient and client care showed her the importance of getting to know the individuals she serves and helping them live to their fullest potential. Each person is unique and comes with a different set of interests, ideas, and backgrounds. Knowing what clients have been through and spending time with them not only builds trust between Sarah and her clients, but helps her determine how to best help them create and fulfill their goals. Prioritizing quality interaction with clients every day is important to Sarah and is reflected in the culture at Gatling House.

Sarah says, “I think it’s really important to take time out of your day to say, ‘Hi, how are you?’ I think that’s one reason our clients are so happy is that their mindset is in a good place. You don’t get that at a lot of places. That’s one of the reasons I wake up and look forward to coming to work every day. Gatling House is a place where you want to come to work.”

The home environment of Gatling House is made possible by the openness and warmth of clients and staff and their genuine interest in each other’s well-being. On any given day, the home is abuzz with laughter, activities, music, and perhaps most importantly, eating together. Day shift staff are with clients for meals and often eat breakfast or a snack with them. “Our clients do really great with that, just being together in a homelike unit,” says Sarah. Within the home environment of Gatling House is the therapeutic component that serves to provide clients with unique services and supports. DSPs complete daily notes, which Sarah reviews as part of her manager role at the start of each day. Sarah also prepares monthly summaries and works with staff to review clients’ Comprehensive Behavioral Support Plans, which aim to help clients build adaptive behaviors to use in their daily lives. When she is not reviewing notes or guiding staff as manager of Gatling House, she spends time out of her office in the main area of the home with clients and staff. “I want to delegate as much time as I can with them, so that they feel like I’m with them and not just a body behind the desk,” says Sarah. “I try to have lunch with the staff and clients, and then complete documentation and notes at the end of the day.” She closes each shift with an afternoon huddle at 4pm to debrief with staff on the details of the day. Gatling House is very much about open communication and most of all, caring about everyone living and working there. The positive environment of the home is felt by clients and staff alike and encourages everyone to be their best for themselves and others.

“I enjoy my staff so much because we have such a good team here,” says Sarah. “If there’s a staffing shortage, I can call any one of them and they will do what’s needed. They are so good with clients.”

When she is not at Gatling House, Sarah enjoys spending time with her family in the outdoors. There is an activity in every season for her family to look forward to, from football and deer hunting in the fall to turkey hunting in the spring and trips to Camden, ME in July.

Through all aspects of her life, Sarah puts people at the top of her priority list. She offers some advice to those considering entering work as a DSP or other human services professional: “Be true to yourself and care for people like you would want your family member cared for, because they value those personal relationships.”