Dr. Sarkis has always had a love of reading—she could read books at the age of three, the same age when she made her first venture into public life. Dr. Sarkis and her mother were at the mall when Dr. Sarkis volunteered to go up on stage and sing “Old MacDonald had a Farm.” Not only did she take the microphone right out of the M.C.’s hand, she also proceeded to sing four stanzas of the song. Her parents said that she brought the house down.

When Dr. Sarkis was four, she made her first literary allusion when she realized one day that only she, her mother, and her teacher were left in class. She exclaimed, “Well, I guess we’re the last of the Mohicans!”  Dr. Sarkis went directly from kindergarten to second grade after she refused to endure one more lesson about the alphabet.  At age eight, she wrote a play which her class performed for the student body.  

Dr. Sarkis has been playing the organ since she was four years old. She was also trained in viola and baritone, but will not openly admit this due to children bringing their violas and violins to her office and asking her for impromptu concerts. The children were not impressed.

Dr. Sarkis lived in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin the first ten years of her life. She then moved to Clearwater, Florida, where she graduated from Countryside High School. Dr. Sarkis has one younger brother, William.

Dr. Sarkis is a Gator four times over, receiving the following degrees from the University of Florida: Bachelor of Science in Telecommunication, 1994; Masters of Education in Mental Health Counseling, 1997; Specialist of Education in Mental Health Counseling, 1997; Doctor of Philosophy in Mental Health Counseling, 2002.

In 2001, Dr. Sarkis received an Outstanding Dissertation Award from the American Psychological Association for her research on ADHD and the executive functions of the brain. That same year she was a finalist for a Fulbright Award.

Dr. Sarkis is the author of two books – 10 Simple Solutions to Adult ADD: How to Overcome Chronic Distraction & Accomplish Your Goals (2006) and Making the Grade with ADD: A Student’s Guide to Succeeding in College with Attention Deficit Disorder (2008), both published by New Harbinger Publications Inc.

Dr. Sarkis maintains a private practice in Gainesville, Florida where she counsels and coaches children and adults with ADHD and autism.  She is also the Director of Assessments and Evaluations for Sarkis Family Psychiatry and Sarkis Clinical Trials in Gainesville, Florida.  She is an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Florida.