With a wide variety of interests, Sarah C. Greenfield wore a lot of hats over the course of her career. She started out as a unit clerk at Strong Memorial Hospital, where she was responsible for filling in when employees went on vacation, and then she advanced to become a biochemical laboratory technician at Strong Memorial Hospital and Pabst Biochemical Laboratory. When Dr. Greenfield’s family moved to Arizona, however, she had to step down. She spent the next few years as a housewife and community volunteer, but she longed for something more. Dr. Greenfield stumbled upon counseling by chance, and she quickly realized she had found what she was meant to do. For the remainder of her professional journey, she served in roles like counselor and tutor for the Title IV Program at the Alum Rock School District and school counselor at the Chinle Junior High School in the Chinle Unified School District #24. She retired in 2001.
Outside of the schools, Dr. Greenfield was very active in her community. She was notably an educational research interviewer with Abt Associates, a nonverbal communication researcher, a data analyst for the Far West Laboratory for Educational Research and Development, a volunteer in the psychiatric ward of St. Luke’s Medical Center, and a member of the executive board of Interfaith Counseling Northwest, among other positions. She shared what she found as a nonverbal communication abstracter and contributor to “Body Movement & Nonverbal Communication: An Annotated Bibliography” for the Institute for Nonverbal Communication Research.
To prepare for her endeavors, Dr. Greenfield earned a Bachelor of Arts in general science from the University of Rochester in 1959 and a Master of Education in counseling and student personnel work, a Master of Counseling, and a PhD in adult education from Arizona State University in 1968, 1970, and 1975, respectively. She also garnered hands-on experience as a student counselor in a practicum and internship at the Counselor Training Center at Arizona State University, a counseling intern in the Psychiatric Outpatient Clinic at St. Luke’s Medical Center, and an administrative intern at the Office of University Extension and Summer Sessions at Arizona State University. Additionally, she became affiliated with prominent organizations like the American School Counselor Association, the Arizona Counselors Association, the Arizona Education Association, and the National Education Association.
When Dr. Greenfield has free time, she enjoys photography, traveling, reading, writing, and volunteering at the Heard Museum.
