The Outreach Report

Welcome to The Outreach Report monthly staff e-news!   

Save the Date! 

• April 2025 Payroll Calendar
  April 4 & April 18
• Upcoming Holidays
  There are no agency holiday closures in April
• Celebrations:
  • National Arab American Heritage Month
  • National Day of Silence (4/11)
  • Passover (4/12-4/20)
  • Palm Sunday (4/13)
  • Good Friday (4/18)
  • Easter (4/20)
  • Earth Day (4/22)
  • Administrative Professionals Day (4/25)
• Free Professional Development Opportunities
  • Outreach University SOR-Funded Professional Development Courses –

To register for the first group of courses below, please use this link:  OASAS-Sponsored Regional EBP Trainings (google.com)

April

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The Other Drugs of Misuse (3 hours)

The variety of psychoactive drugs now available to users are well beyond the more-commonly known drugs of abuse. Some are taken for their primary effects while others are found as adulterants or additives to more-commonly used drugs. This presentation will review some less-frequently discussed substances, including Ayahuasca, Ketamine, Gabapentin, Kratom, “Bath Salts”, “K-2”, CBD, Xylazine, and Delta 8 THC as well as the recent resurgence of interest in the therapeutic use of psychedelics.

• Date: Tuesday, April 1, 2025
• Time: 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
• Trainer: Dr. Kalisha Smith, DSW, LCSW, CASAC Master Counselor, Director, Outreach Training Institute, Outreach Development Corporation

Registration Deadline: March 25, 2025

• • • • •

DBT Skills and Protocol Overview (3 hours)

This presentation will provide an introductory training on the fundamentals of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills and protocols, designed to provide a foundational understanding and general practical application techniques.

• Date: Wednesday, April 2, 2025
• Time: 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
• Trainer: Gretchen Grappone, LICSW Adjunct Instructor, OTI

Registration Deadline: March 26, 2025

• • • • •

DBT Skills and Protocol Overview (3 hours)

This presentation will provide an introductory training on the fundamentals of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills and protocols, designed to provide a foundational understanding and general practical application techniques.

• Date: Tuesday, April 8, 2025
• Time: 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
• Trainer: Gretchen Grappone, LICSW Adjunct Instructor, OTI

Registration Deadline: April 1, 2025

• • • • •

Crisis Prevention and De-Escalation (3 hours)

This course teaches participants to use Nonviolent Crisis Intervention by the Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI). Participants learn to appropriately intervene at every level of a crisis, with emphasis on the identification of the early stages of a crisis and how to prevent its escalation. The use of verbal de-escalation and personal safety techniques is introduced and practiced. The overarching priority of this approach is to keep both clients and staff safe.

• Date: Tuesday, April 9, 2025
• Time: 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
• Trainer: Dr. Kalisha Smith, DSW, LCSW, CASAC Master Counselor, Director, Outreach Training Institute, Outreach Development Corporation

Registration Deadline: April 2, 2025

• • • • •

Beyond the Test: Empathy, Advocacy and Addressing Bias in Toxicology Testing (3 Hours)

This training delves into the biases inherent in toxicology testing, emphasizing empathic communication with individuals in recovery, exploring relapse conversations, and advocating to support justice-involved individuals struggling with substance use disorders.

• Date: April 29, 2025
• Time: 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
• Trainer: Kalisha Smith, DSW, LCSW, CASAC Master Counselor, Director, Outreach Training Institute, Outreach Development Corporation

Registration Deadline: April 22, 2025

• • • • •

Harm Reduction (3 hours)

This presentation will be an opportunity to examine the multiple issues which harm reduction approaches raise for substance use disorder providers who have less experience in providing these services. We will look at definitions, examples currently in practice, and proposed patient interventions. Practical implementation and operational issues which individual practitioners and organizations might have to address will also be reviewed.

• Date: April 30, 2025
• Time: 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
• Trainer: Dr. Kalisha Smith, DSW, LCSW, CASAC Master Counselor, Director, Outreach Training Institute, Outreach Development Corporation

Registration Deadline: April 23, 2025

• • • • •

Congratulations to all!

Outreach has received an amended operating license from OASAS that authorizes the agency to be a designated provider for LGBTQ-Affirming Services!

Congratulations Staff!

• OH I is proud to announce that Katie Gilligan now has her Master Level CASAC certification and Brianna Christiano-Adams now has her CASAC-T!

• Jovana Djurdjevic promoted to Program Director, Outreach House I! Jovana’s tenure at Outreach began in 2017 as a CASAC intern working in the intake department at OH I. She was then hired as the department head until she took left to complete her master’s in social work at Loyola University Chicago in August of 2018. When Jovana moved back to New York in 2021, she served as the community support specialist at Outreach. Wanting to expand her clinical experience, she went on to work for ACS as a social worker for an all-girls group home. In December of 2023, Jovana returned to OH 1 as Assistant Director/ Clinical Coordinator where she has been providing steadfast leadership for her staff, residents and families.
• John Venza, Vice President for Residential Services and Business has been awarded SCOPE’s Community Service Award after being nominated by Western Suffolk BOCES.  He will be honored at SCOPE’s 24^thAnnual School District Awards Dinner on Monday, March 24^th at Villa Lombardi’s in Holbrook.
• Two long-time and impactful agency staff members have recently retired:
  • Melvin Swain, Director of Outreach House (OH) I
  • Kevin Wadalavage, Master Instructor and Consultant to OTI

We thank them for their years of service to clients, students, and fellow staff as well as to the advancement of the behavioral health field. We send them both warmest wishes for their well-deserved retirement from service.

Women’s History Month

In celebration of Women’s History Month, every Wednesday for the month of March, we have been highlighting some of the many hard working women of Outreach! Mary Brite, Marshee Barclift, Susana Maruy and Megan Ryan were highlighted this month on our Social Media Platforms. To all of the women of Outreach, thank you for all you do to help Outreach Build Healthy Lives!

As a part of these posts, each of the women we highlighted were asked the same question:

What words of encouragement would you give to younger women who are looking to get into the field?

Mary Brite: To the younger women aspiring to enter this field, my suggestion is to fall in love with the field itself rather than a specific role, as this will keep you motivated and open to various opportunities. Be assertive and intentional about your career growth. Seek out professional challenges and set clear goals for yourself. Find mentors and connect with supportive peers who believe in your potential. Practice resiliency—although challenges will most definitely come, it is helpful (although at times difficult) to see these as opportunities. Above all, remember the importance of your work in making a significant positive impact in the lives of others. Your journey is just beginning, and the possibilities are endless.

Marshee Barclift: Don’t wait until you’ve reached your goal to be proud of yourself. Trust yourself, think for yourself, act for yourself, speak for yourself be proud of every step you take towards reaching that goal and don’t settle for average. Bring your best to the moment. Then, whether it fails or succeeds at least you know you gave it your all. Be yourself!

Susana Maruy: Medical billing is a very exciting field, that requires us to always be on the lookout for new regulations and payment guidelines. I would encourage them to be proactive about their learning path, to stay up to date in new trends and billing regulations. It is important to set goals to enhance your skills and talents and to communicate your goals to your supervisors. Hopefully, you will be fortunate to work in an organization that promotes career advancement such as Outreach. If you find that there are some areas that you need to improve, do not be afraid of asking for help or feedback. There are also many free resources online to obtain new certifications. Currently, one very important topic in our field is the use of AI and I would encourage everybody in the field of medical billing to take additional training and stay informed about how we can use Artificial Intelligence to our benefit to minimize billing errors by streamlining billing processes.

Megan Ryan: I was very, very fortunate to have been surrounded by other, positive people who wanted to see their colleagues succeed when I was young in my career. It helped me to gain confidence, be genuinely me, be excited about the work and fully dedicate myself to living up to their high standards. The best advice I could give to anyone new entering the field is to find the people around you who will lift you up and show you the way and remain genuine to yourself. Remaining grounded in genuineness and kindness is paramount to the work that we do and remaining true to the mission.

National Social Worker Month

In honor of National Social Worker Month, we give thanks and celebrate Outreach’s amazing social workers who in innumerable and invaluable ways support our clients each and every day.

Women’s Community Residence:

Lisa Fox, LMSW, CASAC-T

Outreach House I:

Jovana Djurdjevic, LMSW, CASAC-ADV
Mia Eaton, LMSW
Marissa Coble, LMSW

Outreach House II:

Catherine Maguire, LCSW
Alexis Attardi, MSW
Stephanie Aviles, MSW, CASAC-P
Jennifer Macancela, LMSW
Maria Jaramillo, MSW
Kathleen O’Neill, LCSW
Kenneth Sergiacomi, LMSW, Phd
Shaela Fridell, LMSW, CASAC 2

Men’s Community Residence:

Christine Selario, LCSW, MPS
Caitlin Duddy, LMSW

Recovery High School:

Suzanne Soganics, LMSW, CASAC

Outpatient Services:

Jessica Shuren, LCSW, CASAC
Melissa Herrmann, LMSW

Bellport Outpatient Clinic:

Leanna Bianco
Chelsea Forstel, LCSW
Kelsea Surace, LCSW, CASAC2
Katie Gilligan LMSW, CASAC-M
Lindsey Denninger LMSW
Talia Dellamarco LMSW
Michael O’Shea LMSW
Leslye Casolaro MSW, CASAC-T

Integrated Opioid Treatment Program:

Tom Olivo, LCSW
Christina Gagliardi, LMSW
Dane McCarthy, LMSW, CASAC 2
Meaghan McGuire, LCSW
Barbara Tierno LMSW
Jeffrey Ball, LMSW
Laura Hagmeyer, LMSW

REACT Outpatient Center:

Katia Andrade, LMSW
Diana Brathwaite, LCSW
Laurie Jackson, LCSW-R/CASAC
Juana A. Maria, MSW, Master CASAC-G

Suffolk Avenue Outpatient Clinic:

Donna Bornfriend, LCSW-R
Suzanne Orellano, LMSW
Johana Lizarraga, MSW, Advanced CASAC
Ruby Thomas, MSW, CASAC Level 2

Best wishes to staff who celebrate Birthdays in March

Lindsay Augustine
Marshee Barclift
Donna Biagi
Patrick Bonacum
Melissa R. Bozza
Irving Dela Cruz
Robert Dandrea
Alyssa Doria
Victoria Ewart
Farah Francois
Camille Grissett
Christina Harrington
Linda Harvey
Melanie Hlapatsos
Rebecca Kustin
Cassandra Lehman
Laura Mullen
Ora Nusbaum
Vanessa Saunders
Kelsey Silver
Deja Simpson
Vito Virgilio
Tzvia R. Waronker
Richard Wexler
Charles Williams

Welcome to New Employees Hired Between February 14, 2025 – March 14, 2025

Outreach is Hiring!  

Full-time and part-time career opportunities are available throughout the organization. If you are interested in any position, please speak with your immediate supervisor, and/or feel free to apply directly to the position by linking here: ADP Workforce Now – Career Center or, here: www.opiny.org/careers.  If you have any challenges in applying for open positions listed on Workforcenow, please call the HR Department at ext. 2230 or email HR@opiny.org.

Outreach Fun Fact

Outreach established its first women’s program – a day initiative for women released from parole in 1988 at housed at its first clinic in the former St. Anthony’s Hospital in Woodhaven, Queens.