CTAC Voices from the Field

Voices From the Field is a new CTAC podcast for practitioners, by practitioners, to share stories and experiences of wellness, care, and treatment. It's an opportunity to listen to these stories of practice, learn from one another, and elevate the amazing work that exists throughout New York State. 

Our fifth and final episode of our inaugural podcast installment is a conversation with Dr. James (Jim) Rodriguez about trauma and resilience. Dr. Rodriguez has deep experience supporting children, youth and families with a special focus on trauma-informed care. Early in his career, Dr. Rodriguez developed trauma treatments for children and youth impacted by 9/11. Since then he has worked closely with pioneering child and family researchers — including Dr. Kimberly Hoagwood and Dr. Mary McKay — to better understand not only the impacts of trauma but also the inherent resilience of people who have experienced traumatic events. Here’s what he said about resilience: “As we become more aware of the impact of trauma, we’re simultaneously becoming more aware of the things people do to cope and thrive in the face of trauma.” Also in this episode, he reminds us that there is no ‘one size fits all’ regarding wellness or resilience. Trigger Warning: This episode contains descriptions of traumatic experiences including abuse.

Dr. James Rodriguez is a Senior Research Scientist and Director of Trauma-Informed Services at the McSilver Institute. He is a licensed clinical social worker and psychologist with over 25 years of providing mental health services to children, youth and families in a variety of service settings, including direct practice, training and research experience in the area of trauma treatment and services. His work at the McSilver Institute includes the development and dissemination of training materials to promote trauma-informed care in diverse service settings for children, youth and families. In addition, Dr. Rodriguez has a private practice that focuses on trauma treatment. As well, he is an adjunct faculty member and teaches cultural competence at the NYU Silver School of Social Work.

Voices From the Field is a new CTAC podcast for practitioners, by practitioners, to share stories and experiences of wellness, care, and treatment. It's an opportunity to listen to these stories of practice, learn from one another, and elevate the amazing work that exists throughout New York State. 

Our fourth episode is a conversation with Madeline Maldonado, LCSW-R, a therapist, clinician, clinical supervisor, and clinic director, who has worked in a wide range of mental health clinics in and around New York City. In this interview, she shares her experience providing counseling and case management services for clients in some difficult circumstances. Madeline shares what she and her teams have done to help families navigate the system while trying to also help them meet their basic needs. And, she tells the powerful story of one gentleman with PTSD who finds his way back to a self-regulated state through consistent care. 

Madeline Maldonado is a licensed clinical social worker with over 20 years of experience in program administration, clinical supervision & trainings, psychotherapy, diagnostic evaluations, and social work consulting. Madeline’s greatest joy is to motivate and inspire her clients and other professionals as an agent of hope and change. Kindness and humor are her trademark.   Madeline is the president & founder of Madeline Maldonado, LCSW Consulting P.C. providing social work consulting services such as workshops, staff trainings and diagnostic evaluation services for children referred by the NYC Early Intervention Program. She is the co-founder and president of Minette LCSW Psychotherapy Services PLLC, a practice that specializes in culturally competent psychotherapy for Latino and BIPOC children, adults, and families. Madeline has worked in many OMH funded programs over the years and is well-versed in public mental health and wellness. Madeline is also an adjunct professor and field advisor at Fordham University’s MSW Program. 

Learn more about Madeline here: www.minettepsychotherapy.com

Voices From the Field is a new CTAC podcast for practitioners, by practitioners, to share stories and experiences of wellness, care, and treatment. It's an opportunity to listen to these stories of practice, learn from one another, and elevate the amazing work that exists throughout New York State. 

Our third episode is a conversation with Dr. Benjamin (Benjy) Gottesman, a clinical psychologist who works with young people ages 3 to 21 and their families. Dr. Benjy shares lessons from his many years of experience working with kids and families in a day treatment program. He discusses success stories from young people and parents who have developed strategies to build resilience, self-regulation and attachment - in some cases over many years. Dr. Benjy also talks about the need for greater investment in mental health services at the state level and the opportunity we all have to reach out to parents to disrupt the ongoing cycles of intergenerational trauma that are found in communities everywhere. 

Dr. Benjy Gottesman is a clinical psychologist at The Clear View School and Day Treatment Center in Briarcliff Manor, NY., where he has worked since 2014. At Clear View, Dr. Benjy works with children, adolescents, and their families, providing counseling and psychological assessment. He also leads monthly parent support groups and provides clinical consultation to the therapeutic nursery on site. In his spare time, Dr. Benjy loves to write songs, play ultimate frisbee, and go hiking.

Voices From the Field is a new podcast from the Community Technical Assistance Center, part of New York University’s McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research. Our goal is to provide a platform for practitioners, by practitioners, to share stories and experiences of wellness, care, and treatment. 

Our second episode is an interview with Mary Fralick, FPA, from The Family Resource Network in Oneonta, NY. In this episode, Mary shares her lived experience in working with families and shares her experience as a bridge between clinicians and families. 

Mary is a mother, grandmother and fierce advocate supporting families in Otsego County through her work with the Family Resource Network, Inc. and The Family Stabilization Program with Rehabilitation Support Services.  Mary grew up in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. However, she has called Upstate New York home for 30 years with her husband Tom, her children and grandchildren. Mary attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro’s BFA Acting Program and also holds a degree in Human Services from SUNY Herkimer.

Dr. Anthony Salerno shares learnings from his 30-year career in public mental health in New York State. A licensed psychologist with experience in a variety of settings, Dr. Salerno is McSilver Institute’s Innovation and Implementation Officer. In this role, he has developed system-wide strategies to promote evidence-based practices with a particular emphasis on health self-management and family psycho-education. 

In this interview, Dr. Salerno shares his personal journey as a psychologist, offers tips for how to strengthen the resilience of people who have experienced trauma, and endorses integrated care that surrounds children and families with support. 

To hear more of our interviews, please visit us at www.ctacny.org  and click ‘Series’ under the ‘Trainings’ tab.  

A huge store of knowledge about the social work field lives in the minds of you, the practioners. Here at The Community Technical Assistance Center of NY (CTAC), we want to unlock that knowledge and make it widely available to social workers, psychologiests and professionals who work directly with children, youth and families. With that mission in mind, we are excited to announce a new podcast, "Voices from the Field." 

Beginning on November 15, we will feature regular, in-depth interviews with social workers conducted by Kara Dean-Assael, senior director of CTAC. In each episode, our guests share their stories and hands-on experience promoting resilience and wellness in their communities. We hope making these stories widely available will strengthen and enrich the best practices in our field.  

New episodes will appear every two weeks on CTAC's website. Visit this page for more information and to listen (registration required). Thank you and stay tuned!