Meet Our Team: Sarah Holbrey

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     Sarah Holbrey is one of our Stop Smoking Advisor's. We interviewed her about her role in the community with the Leeds Stop Smoking Service.

How long have you been doing the role?

I started working for the trust in May 2014 and was new to the role of a Smoking Cessation Practitioner.

   

   Tell me a bit about your background

     I studied psychology and health psychology at university which ties in nicely with the health promotion and behaviour change aspects of my current role. I previously worked as a healthcare assistant in a low-secure mental health unit for Bradford District Care Trust and more recently as a researcher in dementia care research at the University of Bradford.

     What brought you to work at the Stop Smoking Service?

     I realised I did not want a career purely in research, but instead wanted to work in a more applied way, working closely with clients and being at the heart of an intervention where I can see the direct benefit an intervention has on a person’s well-being.

   Why did you want to work in the community?

I liked the idea of working across different settings and thought it would give me more opportunities to work with a broader range of client groups too.  

   Describe a typical day

     A typical day is usually a mix of clinical work and admin. If I have a clinic that involves setting up any equipment and resources needed for the session and welcoming both new and ongoing clients where I will discuss options with them, measure their Carbon Monoxide levels and support them to plan coping strategies in their quit journey. The admin side involves restocking my resource bag with things like record sheets, leaflets and booklets, answering emails, ensuring electronic records are up-to-date and other bits and bobs like faxing treatment requests.

   What area of your work do you find most rewarding? 

I love the clinical aspect of my role. It’s wonderful to see the changes in clients as they progress along their quit journey. Quite often people are nervous at first or unsure of what to expect from the service, or are feeling a bit low in confidence if they have relapsed. It’s so rewarding to see them grow in confidence once they achieve their quit day and I can see them changing in front of me, for the better, both physically and emotionally. And of course, knowing that I just might have saved someone’s life, as sadly, one in two people who smoke will die from a smoking related illness.

How would you like your career to progress?

I want to pursue a career in public health and health psychology so I can have a more direct influence on developing effective and evidence-based interventions. This of course means more studying, but I'm always keen for a challenge!