Staff

Kathleen Bishop, M.A., M. Div., Ph.D. “My work at YDC is inspired by a commitment to social justice and the conviction that good psycho-social programs change lives. Once, while having dinner at the Robert Treat Hotel, I heard someone call, ‘Dr. Bishop, is that you?’. It was one of the girls I had seen for two years in group therapy in her Newark high school. She reported that the group had meant a lot to her. Seeing how well she was doing as she talked excitedly about her college program, meant a lot to me. In sum: it’s about relationships.”

Vidal Annan, Ph.D. “After my first interview at YDC, it became clear to me that this clinic would provide the opportunity that I had been looking for. I was immediately attracted to the ‘best practices, best venues’ approach of the clinic. It made sense to me that clients would benefit most when they received the interventions in the environments in which they spend most of their time – in school, at the group home, in day care, etc.”

Marcela Pacesova, M.A. “As probably with most other mental health professionals, I entered the field of psychology in order to help people change their lives. At YDC, I am supported to do my best work. The family and the school are two major systems embedded in a child’s life and the nature of the work at YDC allows me to work with both.”

Karla Adams Rivera, Psy. D., Certified School Psychologist “The culture at YDC is unique: Everyone from the director to the practicum students has a love for the work, and a desire to succeed in making a difference.”

Eric Dranoff, Ph. D. Extern “A student’s mother was concerned about her daughter’s behavior. The daughter was disruptive and difficult to manage. The mother ‘just didn’t know what to do anymore’. Over the next five months, I formed a strong alliance with the mother. She learned strategies for maintaining boundaries with her daughter, to modulate her own emotional reactions, and to implement interventions to reduce aggressive and oppositional behavior (i.e. time-out procedures). Helping facilitate these types of lifestyle changes for children and parents makes my work at YDC so rewarding.”