Ever since Wendy joined BronxWorks in 2011, she has been a stalwart champion of mental health awareness. Wendy, who majored in psychology at Clark University and obtained a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Columbia University, espouses the connectivity between our mental, physical, and behavioral health. This extends not only to her clients, many of whom are counted amongst the most vulnerable in our city’s population, but more and more to BronxWorks staff. As a member of the BronxWorks Health Committee, Wendy is the constant voice reminding us to take deep breaths, to stay present, and to not be afraid to ask for help if needed.
Wendy grew up in the suburbs north of New York City, in Westchester County. She credits her upbringing for her passion for social justice. “As a child, my parents always pushed me to think about how I could leave the world a better place than I found it.” When Wendy joined BronxWorks, she did so as a social worker with over a decade of experience. She joined a newly-opened supportive housing program at The Brook as the Assistant Program Director.
We were about a year into the opening of The Brook, so we had to create the programs that we wanted to do with the clients, like the peer program, like tenant services, creating different committees and organizing staff retreats to bring out the best in our team to provide the best services for our clients.”
At The Brook, Wendy worked with formerly homeless individuals who have moved into permanent supportive housing. Many of the residents of The Brook live with chronic illnesses or serious mental illness and require significant supportive services on-site to help them adopt healthier and more independent lifestyles.
After four and a half years at The Brook, Wendy became the Clinical Supervisor for the Health Home Program, and then in 2019, she became the Director of Clinical Services for the BronxWorks Family Residences. She helps oversee clinical services at three homeless family residences at Jackson Avenue, Nelson Avenue, and Willow Avenue, as well as the BronxWorks Family Hotel.
Wendy’s approach to clinical supervision is rooted in her decades of experience as a clinical social worker herself. She helped to build a framework of supervision for aspiring social workers at BronxWorks. Many of the licensed clinical social workers (LCSW) at BronxWorks today received their clinical licenses under Wendy’s supervision. The process of obtaining a clinical license requires thousands of hours of client work and supervision. Due to the work of Wendy and others, BronxWorks is better able to attract and retain social workers and provide them with supervision to offer the highest level of care to our clients.
I’ve had many opportunities here at BronxWorks to work with so many committed, interesting, hardworking people who just give so much and that is a really wonderful experience.”
Outside of work, Wendy lives for the summer. She loves go to the beach, swim in the ocean, paddle board, and spend time with friends and family. She is looking forward to her annual trip to Cape Cod in August, which she has been going on to for 30 years.
Ever since Wendy joined BronxWorks in 2011, she has been a stalwart champion of mental health awareness. Wendy, who majored in psychology at Clark University and obtained a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Columbia University, espouses the connectivity between our mental, physical, and behavioral health. This extends not only to her clients, many of whom are counted amongst the most vulnerable in our city’s population, but more and more to BronxWorks staff. As a member of the BronxWorks Health Committee, Wendy is the constant voice reminding us to take deep breaths, to stay present, and to not be afraid to ask for help if needed.
Wendy grew up in the suburbs north of New York City, in Westchester County. She credits her upbringing for her passion for social justice. “As a child, my parents always pushed me to think about how I could leave the world a better place than I found it.” When Wendy joined BronxWorks, she did so as a social worker with over a decade of experience. She joined a newly-opened supportive housing program at The Brook as the Assistant Program Director.
We were about a year into the opening of The Brook, so we had to create the programs that we wanted to do with the clients, like the peer program, like tenant services, creating different committees and organizing staff retreats to bring out the best in our team to provide the best services for our clients.”
At The Brook, Wendy worked with formerly homeless individuals who have moved into permanent supportive housing. Many of the residents of The Brook live with chronic illnesses or serious mental illness and require significant supportive services on-site to help them adopt healthier and more independent lifestyles.
After four and a half years at The Brook, Wendy became the Clinical Supervisor for the Health Home Program, and then in 2019, she became the Director of Clinical Services for the BronxWorks Family Residences. She helps oversee clinical services at three homeless family residences at Jackson Avenue, Nelson Avenue, and Willow Avenue, as well as the BronxWorks Family Hotel.
Wendy’s approach to clinical supervision is rooted in her decades of experience as a clinical social worker herself. She helped to build a framework of supervision for aspiring social workers at BronxWorks. Many of the licensed clinical social workers (LCSW) at BronxWorks today received their clinical licenses under Wendy’s supervision. The process of obtaining a clinical license requires thousands of hours of client work and supervision. Due to the work of Wendy and others, BronxWorks is better able to attract and retain social workers and provide them with supervision to offer the highest level of care to our clients.
I’ve had many opportunities here at BronxWorks to work with so many committed, interesting, hardworking people who just give so much and that is a really wonderful experience.”
Outside of work, Wendy lives for the summer. She loves go to the beach, swim in the ocean, paddle board, and spend time with friends and family. She is looking forward to her annual trip to Cape Cod in August, which she has been going on to for 30 years.
