Sarah Bresnahan
Lead Activity Services Facilitator
3 Years as a DSP
Sarah Bresnahan truly embodies what it means to provide person-centered support. When she stepped into supporting a challenging 1:1 individual, she took the time to understand who this person was beyond their challenges — learning their preferences, needs, communication style, and what brought purpose and meaning into their life. Rather than seeing barriers, Sarah saw opportunities, building trust and meaningful connections that helped this individual experience more success, independence, and enjoyment in everyday life.
Sarah went well beyond what was expected of her, researching activities, strategies, and approaches to better support this individual. Her creativity and willingness to try new methods allowed her to discover what truly worked, improving the individual’s quality of life — not because it was required of her, but because she genuinely cared about making a difference.
Sarah has become a trusted resource and strong advocate for this individual, using her deep understanding of his needs to ensure he receives the best possible support. That dedication has earned her the trust to train new staff working with him, and she takes that responsibility seriously — coaching others and helping them provide the same compassionate, individualized support, advocating not just for the individual but for her whole team’s success.
Sarah’s impact has been truly meaningful, creating a life that is more purposeful and fulfilling for the person she supports while leaving a lasting example for the staff who have learned from her. She demonstrates the heart of a Direct Support Professional — someone who sees the person first and goes above and beyond to help them thrive — making her a highly deserving nominee for Direct Service Professional of the Year.