Sarah Fleming is a Public Relations Specialist at Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy. 

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-fleming-ba56b2191

Sarah Fleming holds a B.A. in English from Trinity College and a B.A. in Psychology from the City College of New York. Prior to joining Beck Institute in 2016, she worked in the apparel industry for over 12 years, as a product manager for a Hong Kong-based knitwear manufacturer. In her current role as Public Relations Specialist, she works to increase awareness of Beck Institute’s programs and priorities through media engagement, creation of digital and printed materials, and the execution of special events, including conferences, tradeshows and the annual Beck Institute Excellence Summit. When she’s not at Beck Institute, she helps her husband operate a mobile bar out of a renovated 1972 Airstream Safari and spends time with her high-maintenance rescue chihuahua at her home in Port Richmond. She is also a certified yoga instructor.

PPRA: Who are your clients and what projects are you working on right now?

SF: Beck Institute is a nonprofit with a mission of improving lives worldwide through excellence and innovation in Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) training, practice and research. There is a huge (and growing) mental health crisis in this country. Our job is to provide mental health practitioners with the training they need to deliver the best in evidence-based care to their clients. One of my roles is to raise awareness of CBT and how it can help people feel better and stay better. 

PPRA: What is the favorite part of your job?

SF: The people I work with. I cannot imagine a smarter, kinder and more engaged group of people anywhere! 

PPRA: What was your latest and greatest accomplishment at your job?

SF: I helped our president, Dr. Judith Beck, with the latest revision of her book, Cognitive Behavior Therapy: Basics and Beyond. Editing draft after draft of a 400-page textbook was definitely a labor of love, but it was amazing to play a part in getting such an important book in our field to print.  

PPRA: What one piece of advice would you give to your fellow PR pros?

SF: This is really my advice for any writer, including myself: If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough. 

PPRA: What book or movie could you read or watch again and again?

SF: The Three Body Trilogy by Liu Cixin gets better with every reading. I’ve also read The Wind-up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami multiple times.  

PPRA: What’s your favorite spot in Philly?

SF: Pre-pandemic you could find me swimming laps after work at the Kelly Pool in Fairmount Park. Such a gorgeous public resource!  

PPRA: If you weren’t in PR, what profession do you see yourself in and why?

SF: After about five more years of school, maybe an architect. I love work that blends creativity with functionality.  

PPRA: Favorite Philly Food?

SF: Ice cream sandwiches from Weckerly’s. I’m also obsessed with Indian food and Ekta is the best.