Family Mental Health
Counselors
Mark Edson, LCSW - I have been a therapist with this agency for
over 28 years, having a diversity of experiences. I work with individuals, couples,
families, and parent-child relationships. I have also co-lead groups for adults
and children, including passivity confrontation, developmental play, domestic violence
perpetrators and sexual abuse offenders. I have served in supervisory and administrative
roles, including Director of Cathedral Park Counseling, Director of Human Resources,
and clinical supervisor. I have also been involved with a number of agency related
task forces and committees and served as a loaned executive to the United Way campaign.
I have a certificate in Geriatrics, and also work with grief, death, and dying issues.
Suzanne M. Kraus, MS, A.T.R. - For the past eight years I have
worked at Child and Family Services as a registered Art Therapist and mental health
Clinician. Presently, I am in process for licensure as an "Expressive Arts Therapist"
through the New York State Board of Education. My client population is predominantly
children, teens, and young women. Treatment expertise includes Cognitive/Behavioral
Therapy, Psychotherapy, Art Therapy, Play Therapy and my wonderful Therapy Dog,
Ozzy. I believe through commitment to treatment, patience, honesty, trust and perseverance
that solutions to difficulties can be found and personal growth and improvements
achieved.
Nancy Mahaney, LCSW - I have 23 years experience doing social work
with children, adults, and families, including 19 years at Child and Family Services.
I also have a Permanent Certificate in Elementary Education, which has been an excellent
foundation to my work with children. Some fields of expertise: ADHD, Parent/Child
Problems, Family Violence, and Women's Issues. I am committed to seeing abused women
empowered to affect change in their own lives through individual and group counseling.
I am trained in EMDR and have used this to resolve trauma re rape, sexual abuse,
deaths, armed robberies, shootings, and car accidents.
Maria Ortiz, LCSW - I have worked at Child and Family Services
for 15 years, presently at the Family Mental Health Program. I am bilingual and
bicultural in the Spanish language. I service the Hispanic populations who live
in the Western New York area. The target populations I serve have a diversified
social, economic, and mental health issues and concerns which affect the quality
of their daily lives. My skills, education, experiences, and biculturalism enable
me to assist individuals, families and children, meet their needs in a safe environment
and in their spoken language. The areas of concentration are: workplace disaster
debriefing, sexual abuse, domestic violence, mental health, school mediation and
conflict resolution, cultural issues and conflicts, troubled youth, and other areas
within the school setting. Most of the referrals come from school, hospital, clinic
friends, self referral, and other mental health professionals.
David Papia, LCSW - I have been employed at Child and Family Services
since September 1988. My early experience was as a case manager in the Foster Care
program, and Preventive Services. In 1996 I began taking mental health and family
counseling cases, in addition to Preventive Services. Most of my l7 years experience
has been providing social work casework and counseling to children and adults who
have experienced abuse or neglect. I typically see the long term effects on these
clients which develop into multiple family and individual behavior and emotional
problems. I have been most influenced by trainings related to solution focused methods
and play therapy techniques. I enjoy play therapy treatment approaches because it
assists clients to change through mostly non-verbal means and I enjoy the solution
focused approach because it is strength-based and a clever way to assist clients
to change and grow.
Glenda Parks, MS - I have a BS degree in Social Work from Buffalo
State College and a MS degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from Syracuse University.
My work experience includes more than 12 years of providing mental health treatment
to children, adolescents, and their families. I specialize in working with children,
especially adolescents, who are experiencing symptoms of adjustment problems, reactive
attachment disorder, ADHD, PTSD, conduct disorders, and abuse issues. Being an African
American female who is culturally sensitive makes it easier to develop rapport and
trust with the population that we serve.
Paul D. Pasternak, MS - Not only am I an Individualized Care Coordinator
for the Home & Community Based Waiver Program I am also a fee for service Family
Mental Health Counselor at the Mary Talbert Clinic. I received my Bachelor of Arts
degree in 1990 from Canisius College. I received my Masters of Science in Counselor
Education from Canisius College in 1997. I have worked in the mental health field
since 1990. This includes work in Silver Spring, Maryland where I lived for some
years. My areas of specialty include empowering families, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder, and Oppositional Defiance Disorder. I am also strong in the area of public
speaking. I am able to draw upon both formal training and an array of life experiences
to help serve our customers.
Carol Poecking, LCSW - With 32 years of counseling education and
experience, including 19 years at Child and Family Services, I’ve gained skills
to work with all ages and varieties of problems/mental disorders. I've especially
enjoy working with adolescents, couples, individuals, families and groups. I have
a medical and business background as well which helps in working with people with
physical disabilities or serious illnesses. I've worked in alcohol clinics, hospices
and ran a successful private practice for 20 years. Currently, I am a clinician
and supervisor full time at the West Seneca office. I love the variety of clientele
we have at this office and the staff is excellent.
Kendra Washington, LCSW – I will have been at Child and Family
Services 10 years September, 2006. I have my Masters in Social Work from the University
at Buffalo. My practice specialties are global and allow me to work at Mary Talbert
Clinic with individuals that suffer from SPMI (Severe Persistent Mental Illness),
ADHD, Eating Disorders, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Substance Abuse, Family
Counseling, Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED), Anger Management, Crisis Intervention,
Domestic Violence and more.