In the award-winning 2000 documentary, “Just, Melvin, Just Evil,” there is a moment when an adult victim of child abuse tearfully remembers: “Each time I mentioned it to somebody, they said I was crazy.”
Among those behind the camera was Sarah Serluco, a seasoned television producer who had built a career in New York, from MTV internships to running her own production company. When a friend was looking to tell the story of his family’s generational trauma, she was all-in on the project.
Over five years of filming, she watched survivors pour their hearts out, finally allowed to be seen and heard.
“These women were just exploding, wanting to share every detail,” she recalls.
As a journalist, Sarah had to stay neutral. But bearing witness to the untold pain left a mark that changed the entire course of her decades-long career.
From Storyteller to Advocate
Sarah later moved to Atlanta, where she earned her Master’s in social work from Georgia State. After gaining experience at the Georgia Department of Juvenile Services, Sarah joined TIP in 2017 as a Behavioral Services Manager, working with chronically absent children at risk of falling through the cracks.
Some days, that meant helping families find resources to cover things like utility bills and basic necessities — even as simple as a fresh pair of socks.
Other times, it meant sitting with a teenager and asking, “What do you want to do with your life? What comes after high school?” She recalls working with a brother and sister who were raised by their grandfather and had never had anyone ask them about their future.
“I took them both on a tour of Georgia State. I was actually thinking about them recently. I wonder whatever happened.”
A Practice Built on Purpose
Now in private practice, Sarah runs SIS Counseling, where she works primarily with teen girls and women. SIS will soon begin accepting client referrals from TIP, bringing mental health support to some of the students who need it most.
Some adolescents’ struggles come with the territory: stress from academic pressure. Self-consciousness. Substance use.
But times have also changed. The COVID era and virtual learning introduced new challenges, not only disrupting routines, but severing the social fabric that’s critical to children in their formative years.
“You’re just a black box on a screen,” she says. “It must have been just so hard for them.”
Sarah emphasizes that all kids can benefit from therapy. But amid widespread youth isolation and mental health challenges, she says there are red flags that can help caregivers spot the difference between mood swings and more serious concerns.
“Falling asleep in class. Acting out. Anger issues. Kids withdrawing from what they enjoyed before. And their appearance. Are they showering? Are they taking care of themselves? Did they eat today? Those can be key indicators.”
These challenges can push kids out of the classroom and further behind — a cycle that, without intervention, tends to feed itself.
Reasons for Hope — and Steps You Can Take
While financial struggles, provider shortages, and systemic shortcomings put care out of reach for many families, there has been a renewed focus on youth wellbeing and achievement at the statewide level. Legislation like SB123 and the Georgia Early Literacy Act, for example, aim to rebuild the foundation of attendance, engagement, and belonging that many students have lost.
“I think there’s been a bigger emphasis on teen mental health lately,” Sarah says. “When everybody’s more aware and we’re passing laws to protect our kids, then we’re going to want to put more resources into it.”
In the meantime, Sarah encourages parents to stay engaged with their kids, balancing teens’ desire for privacy and independence with touchpoints to let them know they are supported.
“Listen, listen, listen. Don’t try to fix it. Don’t try to come up with solutions for them. Don’t lecture them. They just want someone to talk to.”
Free meditation apps like Insight Timer can also help alleviate symptoms, and SIS Counseling is working to incorporate promising new psychosensory therapies into the practice.
But broad change will take a collective effort, Sarah acknowledges.
“There have got to be people in our community that can step in and say, ‘There’s more than this. Let me help you. Let me guide you. Let me listen to you.’”
To Sarah, Jesslyn, and all of the practitioners who help our youth carry heavy burdens that no child should face alone: thank you.