Meet the Social Services Staff

Krystin 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 and 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.

Prior to 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.

Sarah Abbas, MSW, ASW

Sarah received her BA in Psychology from Oakland University. Sarah is an awardee and member of Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society, The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, and The National Honor Society of Leadership and Success. She completed her clinical social work internship in a federally qualified health center, providing outpatient substance use services and integrated behavioral health care.

Sarah’s clinical interests include integrative mental health and wellness, anxiety and mood disorders, holistic care, trauma-informed care, mindfulness-based therapies, adventure therapy, experiential therapy, nature therapy, laughter therapy, and interpersonal therapy. She’s also interested in substance use treatment and harm reduction, intersectional identity development, women’s health and healing, social justice, community preventive services, support, outreach and BIPOC, SSWANA, and Muslim mental health and well-being. 

Hailing from Dearborn, MI, Sarah enjoys taking scenic drives, going on road trips, exploring nature trails, kayaking, camping, and dabbling in art.

Angelica Yi, MSW

Pronouns: she/her/hers and they/them/theirs

Angelica received her MSW from Cal State LA and a BA in Gender Studies from UCLA. 

Angelica’s clinical interests include decolonizing therapy, strengths-based therapy, harm-reduction therapy, intersectional/multicultural counseling, LGBTQ+ identity and related concerns, API/Asian American identity, disordered eating/eating disorders, body image, self-compassion, religion, and spirituality (particularly Christian faith), perfectionism, self-care, and mindfulness.  She has worked as a mental health counselor at a middle school in East LA and as an adult outpatient clinician within the Department of Mental Health in LA County. 

Angelica identifies as a queer and bisexual, second-generation Korean American person. She has experience facilitating spaces for those who identify as LGBTQ+, Christian, and POC (predominantly API communities).

Angelica loves cultivating creativity daily through playing guitar and piano, singing, and dancing. She also enjoys staying active, cooking, baking, and reading. In her spare time, you can find her exploring local farmers’ markets, thrift stores, parks, and libraries.