Tag Archives: staff spotlight

Thank You for Your Service, Deep!

Deep Ghosh

Tribute to the longstanding service of Deepmalya Ghosh

Twenty-two years ago, when The Child Center of NY was still called the Queens Child Guidance Center (QCGC) and focused solely on mental health counseling, then-QCGC Clinical Social Worker Deep Ghosh presented at a conference on childhood trauma. Someone there mentioned Beacon centers.

At the time, “I didn’t know what they were talking about,” Ghosh recalls. “But I learned Beacons are all-purpose centers open to the community for recreation, arts, afterschool — all different things — for all ages. And I thought, I hope we get one.” Continue reading

In Honor of Social Work Month: The Team That Helps Troubled Teens and Families Change Course

HALE III staff

A Q&A with Our HALE III Team

HALE III staff

The HALE III team is a close-knit group. Here they are at a baby shower for two of their team members.

Editor’s Note: This Q&A provides a snapshot of the important role our social workers and other therapists play in the lives of some of NYC’s most under-served children and families. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, these dedicated professionals now are conducting tele-visits instead of in-person visits — and they have done it without missing a beat. Stay tuned for stories of how various members of The Child Center’s dedicated staff are going above and beyond during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is affecting all of us, but has unique implications for our clients.

 

The Child Center of NY’s HALE (Holding Adolescents in Loving Environments) III program uses evidence-based family interventions to reduce risks of abuse and foster care placement. Most families in the program have sought our services voluntarily. Some are referred to us by the NYC Administration for Children’s Services. Regardless of how families come to us, our HALE III team — made up of therapists Elsa Barkhordarian, LMSW; Webb Casimir, MSW candidate; Therese Despeine, MA MFT; Vanessa Heller, LCSW, MPH; Domonique Wilson, MSW; Tatiana Wilson, MHC; Program Secretary Lissette Camilleri; and Program Director Elizabeth Traverso, LCSW-R — understands that the vast majority of parents want to do well by their children and will do so when given the right skills, counseling, and support. The team works to equip families with these tools. Here’s how they do it.
Continue reading

Staff Spotlight: Q&A with Alondra Santiago, Early Head Start Home Visitor

Alondra with her client family, through Early Head Start

A linchpin of our Early Head Start program, home visitors play a crucial role in helping clients strengthen the parent-child bond and increase school readiness where it begins: the home. They work with low-income families with babies, toddlers, and pregnant women, using the ParentChild+ home visiting model and curriculum. These dedicated professionals show parents how they can help their children learn, grow, reach developmental milestones, and feel confident and safe.

Alondra Santiago has served as a home visitor at The Child Center of NY for three years — and wouldn’t have it any other way.

Alondra with her client family, through Early Head Start

Alondra (left) with clients Isaías and his mom Rosalba

How did you get involved in this line of work? Continue reading

Staff Spotlight: Q&A with Social Worker Ingrid Gomez

Ingrid Gomez, winner of 13th annual Peter Kuo Award for Social WorkMarch is National Social Work Month, a special time at The Child Center of NY, where social workers play an instrumental and inspiring role in helping young people who are facing trauma, mental health challenges, and other impediments to their ability to reach their full potential in life.

This year’s Social Work Month theme is Elevate Social Work, which embodies the need to recognize the extraordinary contributions of the social work profession to our society. We are grateful to the Queensboro Council for Social Welfare for taking this theme to heart every year with an annual celebration honoring social workers in Queens who exemplify excellence in their profession. This year’s celebration, which was co-sponsored by the National Association of Social Workers, NYC Chapter and Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, was the 28th annual reception honoring the social workers of Queens. We are proud to announce that The Child Center’s own Ingrid Gomez, LCSW, Mental Health Therapist at our Early Childhood Program in Corona, was this year’s recipient of the 13th annual Fred Kuo Jr. Award Continue reading


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