A Bit About Me
Hi! I am Bailey Frederking Serrano! I work with an incredibly team of clinicians at Bridge Family Therapy in Athens, GA in offices located off Prince Ave. I was previously an educator and I still adore working with middle schools and youth.
I am an avid reader, a writer, a lover of poetry (especially Mary Oliver poetry), an outdoor enthusiast, a believer in soccer as one of the universal languages of the world, an aspiring gardener, and on any given week you can find me falling in love with some new hobby.
I am heavily passionate about individual and community mental health advocacy and empowerment, especially regarding supporting those living with a chronic illness, adolescent boys and young men battling mental health challenges and stigmas, and the LGBTQIA+ community.
I consider myself a life-long learner and a student of the people and world around me with curiosity at the heart of it all. I seek to live a life of attentiveness and take the poets serious when they urge the reader to “pay attention.” In part, that is why I love my job so much; every day, I have the honor of paying attention to the people in front of me and learning from them and with them as they bravely choose healing.
As a therapist (and a human), I believe creativity is a key component to the healing process. With that being said, I seek to be creative with how we approach therapy based on your needs and interests. This may look like us sitting on the floor if that is your preference, drawing while we talk, having music on in the room if that brings you comfort, etc. I love the relational and collaborative process that is unique with each client and consider it such a joy to journey alongside each individual that walks into one of my office spaces in-person or virtually).
For as long as I can remember, I have been drawn toward people, stories, and authentic connections; it is what has drawn me toward teaching and now the field of counseling. In 2021, I was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease that flipped my world upside down. I had already been well-acquainted with grief and trauma, but chronic illness has a way of disrupting every aspect of life in a way that I had not yet experienced. Five months after my diagnosis, I had to step down from teaching, a job I loved dearly. My friends threw me a “grief” party so I could honor my time in the classroom, I went back to counseling as a client, joined a support group, began adapting to my new normal.
Though I know I couldn’t continue to teach with the ebbs and flows of health needs, I knew I still needed to work alongside people in a relational manner connected to supporting, advocating, and empowering others through story and connection. So, I quickly returned to the classroom, just this time as a full-time student again, to pursue my Master’s in Clinical Mental Health. Since then, I have been committed to integrating what I learned as a teacher into the counseling field.
In his book Let Your Life Speak, Parker Palmer wrote, “Teaching, I was coming to understand, is my native way of being in the world… Teaching is at the heart of my vocation and will manifest itself in any role I play.” In that way, Parker Palmer and I are kindred spirits. My " classroom " walls look different now, but the heart of the work I engage in daily remains the same.
The more I do this job, the more I love it.
My Journey to Becoming a Therapist
“Hope springs up in the gloom. Not everything is lost.”
Therapeutic Modalities
Relationally Focused Psychodynamic Theory
This theoretical framework is an evidenced based contemporary psychodynamic approach developed by Dr. Ray Barsness. It places an emphasis on the therapeutic relationship as one of the primary modalities of change within therapy. Read more here.
Interpersonal Neurobiology
Relationally Focused Psychodynamic Theory works in collaboration with Interpersonal Neurobiology. Interpersonal Neurobiology integrates what we know from neuroscience, psychology, and sociology regarding the human experience. It focuses on relationship, the mind-brain-body connection, and it builds heavily off of attachment theory. Dr. Dan Siegel is one of the leading experts behind IPNB. Read more here.
Attachment Theory
Attachment Theory was developed by John Bowlby and is integrated into many modern theoretical frameworks. Bowlby’s work focuses on the relationships and bonds between people; it is particularly focused on how our early childhood experiences and foundational relationships influence our relationship patterns as adults. Read more here.
Component Based Psychotherapy
CBP is a therapeutic framework specifically designed to address the impacts of complex trauma. It builds on the therapeutic relationship, safety and regulation, attending to identity-fragmentation and dissociation, and then narrative work around one’s life experiences. Read more here.
Bailey has participated in the Complex Trauma Summer Institute led by developers of this theoretical framework.
Internal Family Systems Theory
Internal Family Systems is a non-pathologizing evidence-based theoretical framework that has been developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz. IFS is utilized in order to help people formulate an understanding of their internal world and relationship to their different “parts” in order to heal and access wounded parts of themselves. In turn, IFS supports individuals in their relationship to themselves and, in turn, in their relationships to others. Read more here.
Play Therapy & Aut Play Therapy
Play therapy is a child-led theraputic approach that recognizes that “play” is the language of youth. It is a therapeutic modality that creates a safe environment for youth to explore their internal world through play. It promotes coping skills, emotional expression, problem-solving, social connection, problem-solving skills, and allows the child to feel empowered in their therapy experience. Learn more here.
Aut Play is specifically utilized when working with neurodivergent youth and can be directive or non-directive depending on the child and their need. Learn more here.
Clinical Background
-
BA in English from the University of Georgia
BA in English Education from the University of Georgia
MA in English Education from the University of Georgia
MA in Clinical Mental Health from Richmont University
-
2020 Frieda M. Thomas Teacher of Promise Award from the Foundations of Excellence in Public Education
2025 Hanshew Clinical Excellence Award - awarded by Richmont University to graduating interns who demonstrate exceptional clinical skills and have gone above and beyond in their counseling internships.
-
Completed 50 Hours of Trauma Informed Yoga Teacher Training from Shakti Yoga University & Way of Being School in 2024.
Filial Family Therapy (January 2024)
Aut-Play Therapy (2024-2025)
Complex Trauma Summer Institute Training (summer of 2025)
Pursuing EMDR Training (2025)
-
National Certified Counselor as of May 2025
Bailey is under the clinical supervision of Kelley Dodson, LPC, RPT, CPCS and Lindsay Bottoms, NCC, LPC, RPT-S, CPCS
