Thursday Profile- Sarah B. Vasquez

Sarah Vasquez, who was trained by lawyer-psychologists on how to work in the best interests of the child in a contentious divorce, works as a parenting coordinator with Griffor Legal PC just outside Ann Arbor. Vasquez has a master's degree in public health from the University of Michigan, where she focused on health psychology, stress in families, and behavior change. She is now earning a Ph.D. in forensic neuropsychology at Fielding Graduate University. By Jo Mathis Legal News Residence: Whitmore Lake Currently reading...Evidence-Based Practices in Mental Health by Norcross, Beutler and Levant because PhD students don't get to read for fun! My mother always told me...The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth. What is your most treasured material possession? While he's not quite a "material" possession, the only non-human thing I cannot live without is my rescued Bull Mastiff/Staffordshire/Dalmatian mix, Bud Dog. If you weren't a parenting coordinator, what would you be? A medical anthropologist, preferably doing field work in some exotic place I've never heard of. Favorite local hangouts: Maiz Mexican Ristorante on Washtenaw, any bookstore I can find, and Ashley's on State Street. What would surprise people about your job? Sometimes, the lawyers are crazier than the clients! What's your greatest achievement? I managed to have an amicable divorce that left my daughter still whole and happy, and not torn between her parents. What would you say to your 16-year-old self? There is life after high school--value yourself and don't stress over silly boys. What one thing do you wish people knew about your work? I wish lawyers knew that parenting coordination can save them time and money by getting their most intense clients the support they need, freeing up the lawyer to take more clients. Favorite joke: A helicopter pilot is flying to Seattle, and hits a pea-soup-thick fog bank. He's completely disoriented, and flies around lost until he sees the top few floors of an office building. He pulls up close to it, and gets the attention of a woman sitting at her desk. "Excuse me!" he yells to the woman. "Where am I?" "You're in a helicopter," she replies. The pilot nods, pulls off sharply to the left, takes one or two crisp turns through the thick fog, and then does a perfect blind landing at the airport. "That was amazing!" says a passenger. "How did you know from that woman's answer where you were?" "Simple," says the pilot. "Her answer, while correct, was completely useless, so I immediately knew that building had to be Microsoft Tech Support." What is something most people don't know about you? My somewhat-dorky guilty pleasure is the TV show "So You Think You Can Dance." If you could have dinner with three people, living or dead, who would they be? 1. Queen Elizabeth I because she was a very powerful woman in her era; 2. Vincent Van Gogh because I'm a psychologist and I have a question for him; 3. Mark Twain, because he is a favorite author of mine. Who is your favorite character of fiction? I always liked Sherlock Holmes. Favorite law-related movie: "Primal Fear" is good. I confess I never saw the plot twist coming! Favorite place to spend money: Anywhere in the Caribbean. What is your motto? "There is a special place in hell for women who don't help other women." -- Madeleine Albright Where would you like to be when you're 90? In my garden, hollering at the bunnies to get out of my lettuce. Published: Thu, Aug 1, 2013

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