Professional Experience:
Throughout my career I have focused on the intersection of physical and emotional health. After completing undergraduate studies at Cornell University and my Masters’ Degree in Social Work at University of California Berkeley, I went on to work in medical hospitals, community agencies, child welfare, and mental health. As a Clinical Social Worker I see opportunity for change not only within the individual but also by making adjustments to the environment.
Early in my career I counseled and educated adolescents to help them avoid unplanned pregnancy. I supported children and families facing chronic and life threatening illness at Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford University. At a leading child welfare agency in NYC I worked intensively with families of children with both severe emotional struggles and medical illness – helping children cope and parents better manage raising children with intense emotional and medical needs. Most recently I worked as the Child and Family Specialist on Westchester County’s Crisis Prevention and Response Team at St. Vincent’s Hospital. I evaluated and made treatment recommendations for children, adolescents, and adults across the county. Responding often in moments of intense emotional crisis – guiding families from moments of crisis to a more stable path.
Through my agency-based work I have developed connections with county-wide resources. I consider partnership with other professionals crucial to working holistically and fostering creativity. Throughout these diverse experiences I am continually fascinated by the strength and resilience of others in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges. I see my role as nurturer and navigator for these inherent strengths.
Early in my career I counseled and educated adolescents to help them avoid unplanned pregnancy. I supported children and families facing chronic and life threatening illness at Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford University. At a leading child welfare agency in NYC I worked intensively with families of children with both severe emotional struggles and medical illness – helping children cope and parents better manage raising children with intense emotional and medical needs. Most recently I worked as the Child and Family Specialist on Westchester County’s Crisis Prevention and Response Team at St. Vincent’s Hospital. I evaluated and made treatment recommendations for children, adolescents, and adults across the county. Responding often in moments of intense emotional crisis – guiding families from moments of crisis to a more stable path.
Through my agency-based work I have developed connections with county-wide resources. I consider partnership with other professionals crucial to working holistically and fostering creativity. Throughout these diverse experiences I am continually fascinated by the strength and resilience of others in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges. I see my role as nurturer and navigator for these inherent strengths.
Personal Inspiration:
My first experience with family challenges was in my own home. I grew up with a younger brother with serious medical challenges and significant ADHD. Living day to day with the challenges my brother, parents, and our entire family faced inspired me to learn more about these issues and how to best manage them. Life was not always how we expected or hoped it would be and often felt a little messy. My family life showed me first –hand that beauty and strength can be found amidst a family in chaos. It showed me that healing and bouncing back is possible in any family challenge.Yet, sometimes this resilience needs special support in order to be found.
I am now a mother of two, balancing competing priorities of work inside and outside the home. In anticipation of caring for both my children and my aging parents. I am confronting the reality that everything I was going to do differently from my parents may not be possible. While I pursue the best for me and my family, I find a new respect for my parents – who did the best they could with what they had –and nurture that refrain within myself.
I am now a mother of two, balancing competing priorities of work inside and outside the home. In anticipation of caring for both my children and my aging parents. I am confronting the reality that everything I was going to do differently from my parents may not be possible. While I pursue the best for me and my family, I find a new respect for my parents – who did the best they could with what they had –and nurture that refrain within myself.
