New SFCS Team Members Expand Outreach to the Community

As we all know by now, the pandemic has not only raised concerns about our physical health. Mental health worries for children and families have compounded due to social isolation, disruption of routines and loss of community.

To address this need, Scarsdale Family Counseling Service has enriched their team of therapists who will bring skills and experience to expand SFCS's areas of expertise.

According to Executive Director James Genova, the new team will:

-Enhance their child-parent therapy services and social skills groups for children ages 5 to 11;

-Add culturally-sensitive counseling for Scarsdale’s growing Chinese and South Asian communities;

-Add expertise in working with LGBTQ+ youth;

-Expand their marriage and family therapy services;

-Enhance the parenting discussion groups and deepen their commitment to youth outreach workers in Scarsdale Middle School and Scarsdale High School.

SFCS welcomed these nine new therapists at a reception in the Scott Room at the Scarsdale Library on Thursday, December 16th. They also bid farewell to Emily Vallario, who worked for SFCS for 21 years, as SFCS Assistant Director and Director of Community Services and as one of our youth outreach workers at Scarsdale Middle School. We will honor Emily for her many years of service to the Scarsdale community and wish her well in her future endeavors.

Below are bios and photos of the nine new SFCS therapists who have joined SFCS in the last few months, expanding mental health and wellbeing services in our community; more info on each of them is available on the SFCS website.

Swaroopa Dundon joined SFCS as a family therapist in October 2021. She has worked in several NYS Offices of Mental Health, day treatment programs serving clients with chronic mental health conditions. Swaroopa has experience treating clients with an array of diagnoses, including depression, anxiety, trauma, substance use and eating disorders. Swaroopa also brings a multicultural and multilingual perspective to SFCS. She has lived and worked in different parts of the world, including Hong Kong and India. She speaks several South Asian languages, including Hindi, Gujarati and Tamil, in addition to English.

Sarah Goldstein joined SFCS as a family therapist in November 2021. Sarah specializes in child-parent psychotherapy, a highly successful family intervention for young children who have experienced trauma and, as a result, are experiencing mental health, attachment, and/or behavioral problems. Through parent-child dyadic play therapy, Sarah supports families in restoring the child’s sense of safety and attachment while improving cognitive, behavioral, and social functioning. As a Scarsdale native and 2012 SHS graduate, she has an intimate understanding of our community and its families.

Josephine “Jo” Phillips joined the SFCS staff as a family therapist in December 2020. She has experience working with individuals, couples and families at all stages of the life cycle in community mental health settings. Jo specializes in treating challenging behaviors associated with adolescents, especially those impacted by moderate to severe anxiety, depression, trauma, substance abuse and co-occurring conditions. Jo speaks Italian, in addition to English

Jie Wu joined the SFCS staff as a therapist in March 2021. She has worked with children and families in NYS Office of Mental Health outpatient facilities and the New York City public schools. Jie is a bilingual and bicultural therapist with the ability to support families in both English and Mandarin. She is specially trained in cultural competency, as well as in treating trauma-related mental health conditions.

Ari Goldstein joins the SFCS staff as a Youth Outreach Worker at the Middle School in September 2021. In his prior work at a Rockland County community mental health clinic, he provided psychotherapy to children, adolescents and families. He also gained experience at the Child Mind Institute where he worked with children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and related learning, social and behavior problems. Ari also led and organized recreational activities and games, sports skills training, and social skills didactics.

Ashley Sirna joined the SFCS staff as a Youth Outreach Worker at the Middle School in September 2021. Ashley has experience serving the mental health needs of adolescents, adults and the elderly. She has worked in two other school districts, among other settings. Ashley has experience treating substance abuse and other mental health issues and has been an active advocate for those in the LGBTQ+ community.

Samantha “Sam” Swanko joined the SFCS staff as a Youth Outreach Worker at the Middle School in September 2021. She also co-facilitates the Peer Leadership program for Scarsdale High School students. Sam has a unique interest and experience in treating chemical dependency and has worked with adolescents, adults and families struggling with addiction. In addition to treating mental health disorders, Sam has special training in alcohol and substance abuse counseling

Patricia “Patti” Moore joined the SFCS staff as a Youth Outreach Worker at the High School in September 2021. She has experience working with adolescents, adults and the elderly on mental health and substance abuse issues. She worked previously in crisis intervention and investigations of abuse, neglect and maltreatment of vulnerable populations. In addition to treating mental health disorders, Patti has special training in alcohol and substance abuse counseling. She has run a variety of group and individual therapy sessions.

Natalie Ramos joined SFCS staff as a youth outreach works at the High School in September 2021. She specializes in working in various youth settings including LGBTQ+ programs, respite and school-based mentorship initiatives. In her previous work on Long Island, Natalie facilitated the Gay Youth Planning Committee, providing a safe space for LGBTQ+ youth and their allies. She has also worked with youth with serious emotional disturbances. Natalie also has experience working with youth in a school-based mentorship program, assisting them in creating academic goals, cultivating coping mechanism and developing social skills.

James Genova is the Executive Director of Scarsdale Edgemont Family Counseling Service.