Meet the Social Services Staff

Erin Power, MSW

Erin (she/her) graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in Sociology and a minor in Clinical Psychology. Erin went on to pursue her Master's of Social Work at Boston College with an emphasis in Clinical Mental Health. 

Before UHS, Erin worked in the hospital and higher education settings. Erin provided psychotherapy within Primary Care-Integrative Behavioral Health at Boston's largest urban, Level I trauma center hospital. Erin worked with individuals navigating their medical conditions in a diverse population set varying from Bostonian natives to immigrant refugees. Erin's work included a variety of roles: assisting in the diabetes and depression clinic, depression remission and recovery clinic, administering risk assessments, and providing clients with additional resources. 

Erin also worked in the higher education setting providing counseling and case management services to university students. Erin provided support to students returning from medical and personal leave in their transition back to campus. Erin also has experience working at the Koegel Autism Center at UC Santa Barbara working with older adolescents (late teens, college students) with autism focused on building social skills, life skills, and managing mental health challenges. 

Erin identifies as a multi-ethnic, Filipina American who enjoys traveling and exploring the outdoors. In her free time, you can find Erin taking dance classes, going to thrift stores, attending live music events, or painting at home with a cup of tea.  

Clinical interests: multicultural counseling, intersecting identities, identity development, addressing systemic barriers in institutions, health conditions, eating disorders, self-esteem, anxiety, depression, grief, and creative expression. 

Sabrina Van Zuiden, MSW 

Sabrina (she/hers) attended UC Berkeley as an undergraduate, earning her B.A. in Social Welfare and Sociology with a minor in Hispanic Languages, Linguistics, and bilingualism. She went on to graduate with her Master of Science in Social Work from Columbia University, where she focused her clinical attention on working with LGBTQIA+ clients, students, and survivors of trauma. 
 
Previously, Sabrina worked in her hometown of San Diego, CA as a Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Counselor focused on increasing prevention, outreach, and advocacy resources for LGBTQIA+, unhoused, systems-impacted, and transitional-aged youth. She regularly provided training for professionals on the topics of Introductions to Intimate Partners, Sexual, and Teen Relationship Violence, Human Trafficking, Empowerment, and Trauma-Informed Care, Cultural Considerations, Power/Privilege/Oppression, Working with LGBTQIA+ Survivors, and Resilience Skill Building. Sabrina also regularly facilitated groups with community members on the topics of Healthy Relationships, Consent, Media and Porn Literacy, Unpacking Gender Norms, Jealousy, Communication, Identity Exploration, Anger, Safety with Technology, and Resilience Skill Building.
 
Sabrina approaches healing work by understanding the relationship that exists between individuals, our communities, and the systems we are raised within. Her professional framework is informed by and continues to develop within the values of anti-oppression, anti-racism, decolonization, transformative justice, disability justice, reproductive justice, body inclusivity, harm reduction, gender equity, and sexual liberation. A few of her clinical interests include mindfulness, somatic-based practices, trauma and survivorship, BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ experiences, intersectional identity exploration, sex therapy, and community-based approaches. 

Sabrina is a queer, multiracial Filipina-American who loves sunshine, karaoke, and her cat, Steven. When not at work, you might find her scoping out thrift stores, growing her vinyl record collection, or taking in a view of the sunset. 

KG Gehrich, MSW 

KG Gehrich (she/her), received her MSW from the University of Montana, her MA in Intercultural Youth and Family Development from the University of Montana, and her BA in Psychology from Ohio University.
 
She has worked for the last 12 years in various nonprofits, including at a Child Advocacy Center (CAC), where she advocated for children who experienced harm and supported their caregivers, and at the University of Montana's Student Advocacy Resource Center (SARC), where she provided counseling and advocacy to students who experienced identity-based harm including sexual violence, intimate partner violence, stalking, and harassment, as well as gender identity discrimination and racism.
 
KG believes the work that people do to process and make meaning from their experiences is sacred and beholds their passages through the heartbreaks and celebrations of life with great reverence. She enjoys employing somatic approaches, mindfulness, and internal family systems/parts work into her practice. She is passionate about social justice; abolition, restorative justice, harm reduction, tribal sovereignty, and reproductive justice inform her work with students. She believes in bell hooks’ assertion that “rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of communion.”
 
KG identifies as queer and pansexual and finds her spiritual home in the outdoors. Soccer was a near-daily part of her life until a devastating injury in 2019. Now, she is learning to harness her body as a resource for resiliency. KG loves to travel and try new foods. She feels most invigorated and connected while hiking and trail running among natural landscapes that make her feel small. She enjoys live music, avidly listens to podcasts, watches documentaries, and awes at as many wildflowers as possible. 

Clinical interests: trauma, attachment, LGBTQ+ identity development, spirituality, aging, children and families, and holistic healing and wellness.

Jennifer Tai, MSW 

Jennifer Tai, MSW, ASW, is a 1st-year Post-MSW Clinical Social Work Fellow. She received her BA in Communication Studies and Child and Adolescent Development, with a minor in Psychology at San Jose State University. She received her MSW and PPSC (Pupil Personnel Services Credentials) from San Jose State University as well.  

Before joining UHS, Jennifer interned at the Department of Family and Children’s Services within the foster care and adoption units. She also has experience as an academic coach at Pivotal, a nonprofit that supports foster youth in high school and higher education settings. Jennifer also has experience in school social work settings within the Berryessa Union School District and East Side Union High School District. There, she provided mental health counseling and group counseling sessions to students at Brooktree Elementary along with students at Andrew Hill High in the Emotional Disability/Special Education programs in therapeutic classroom settings. 

Jennifer identifies as a former foster youth and first-generation Asian American. She has experience facilitating spaces for socio-emotional skills building, grief and trauma groups, and foster youth communities. 

Jennifer’s clinical interests include trauma-informed care, holistic care, strengths-based therapy, social justice, intimate partner violence and sexual assault, intersectionality, foster youth identity, API/Asian American identity, grief counseling, women of color’s mental health and healing, PTSD, anxiety, and depression disorders. 

Jennifer enjoys creative outlets such as making arts and crafts, watching musicals, and music, including attending music concerts. She also enjoys trying new food, especially dessert places, cooking, and exploring nature and beaches.