Interview with Sherry Gaba from Celebrity Rehab and Sober House

Social Work Helper caught up with acclaimed author, life coach,  and host of CBS radio A Moment of Change, Sherry Gaba from Celebrity Rehab and Sober House. Sherry Gaba is wanting to help other therapists learn how to become a media expert, and she shares her contact information later on in the interview in case anyone is interested in learning more about using media to elevate your practice.

SWH: Tell us a bit about your background, and your work as a therapist and life coach? Could you explain the difference between the two?

Sherry: I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Life Coach. I added life coaching to my business because I have always been a goal oriented, solution focused psychotherapist, therefore, life coaching was a natural fit for me. A Psychotherapist looks at family of origin issues, mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and trauma and life coaching works on helping individuals move forward in their lives.  For example, if someone is feeling stuck at a job and has always wanted to start his or her own business, my role as a life coach is to help him/her create goals towards starting his/her own business and be accountable to those goals.  If my client is stuck because of trauma from the past, he might benefit from psychotherapy and we might start there working on deep seated early trauma issues.  I either see clients as a psychotherapist or a life coach, never both.

SWH: What was it like working on Celebrity Rehab, Sober House, and Celebrity Sex Addiction as the go-to expert?

Sherry: Working with Dr. Drew on VH1’s Celebrity Rehab, Sober House, and Sex Addiction was an amazing experience that I will always be grateful for.  It launched my media career and since then I have published a book, The Law of Sobriety: Attracting Positive Energy for a Positive Recovery and have hosted a radio show on CBS, as well as been a media expert on CNN, Showbiz Tonight, HLN News, Jane Velez Mitchell on HLN, Inside Edition, The Bio Channel, E!News, and many more media appearances.  I have coached therapists worldwide create their own celebrity expert careers, as well, from my own experiences in the media.

SWH: Currently, you have a radio show with CBS and a new book out. What kind of topics do you discuss on A Moment of Change, and  what do you want readers to know about your award winning book, The Law of Sobriety?  

Sherry: The radio show is a show about positive transformation with celebrities, experts and authors that share their own moments of change with insightful, enlightening, and healing conversations along with my co-host, Cathleen O’Connor who has a doctorate in Metaphysics.  The Law of Sobriety is the first addiction and recovery book that looks at recovery from a law of attraction perspective.  It takes the approach that we are creators of our own realities. In other words, our thoughts, actions, beliefs, and emotions attract back to us what we bring into our lives. If we are vibrating on a positive frequency, we are going to attract positivism into our lives. If we are putting out to the universe negativity or self deprecating thoughts, emotions, beliefs, and behaviors, that is exactly what we will attract back into our lives, as well.  The book also takes the reader through a process of meditations, journaling, and affirmations that will help him/her unearth his/her , highest potential, therefore, discovering  what his/her life purpose is.  Everyone has a calling and once an addict or alcoholic gets sober,  it is helpful to their recovery process  to replace their addiction with something that brings them joy and passion so that they don’t go back to using or drinking.

SWH: Clients and potential clients have the ability to schedule skype appointments with you. What’s your thoughts and experience with using technologies such as skype for conducting sessions?

Sherry: We are living in a new world and clients are demanding new ways of getting the help they need so it is important as social workers we keep up with the trends. What I don’t approve of is individuals out there calling themselves energy healers, coaches, shamans, and other types of spiritual healers working with clients on very serious issues such as trauma or with clients that are severely depressed or  suicidal and needing a licensed social worker or other mental health professional.  I believe this is dangerous and as social workers, we need to find ways to make sure these “snake oil salespersons”  are kept away from clients that need real mental health services.  This is a pet peeve of mine and with the internet, there of zillions of these fraudulent so called healers taking advantage of many individuals and it must be stopped!!!!

SWH: What are your aspirations and what new adventure(s) would you like to pursue in your career?

Sherry: Presently, I am creating telseminars workshops for therapists and online meetings based on techniques from my book, the Law of Sobriety and coaching therapists to become media experts.  For more information go to www.sherrygaba.com or email me at sherry@sgabatherapy.com or 818-756-3338.