Our Team at TURNING POINT
Laurie Cargulia, LCSW
Laurie received her Master’s Degree in Social Work from Fordham University. In addition, she completed a Specialization in Children and their Families certification. Laurie’s early years were spent as an Assistant Supervisor at St. Agatha’s Residential Center, where she worked with emotionally disturbed children. Her later experience working in the East Ramapo Central School District and as a Clinical Social Worker at Rockland Children’s Psychiatric Center (RCPC) offered her the opportunity to work in a diverse environment of adolescents with an extensive degree of challenges. Her work with high-risk behaviors, trauma, depression, anxiety and self-harm has given her the ability to identify factors that inhibit a person’s growth.
Laurie is experienced in Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). While at RCPC she launched a self-esteem group that focused on depression and trauma. Laurie has experience in individual, group and family therapy. She believes in a strength-based eclectic approach and works with her clients to enhance their core sense of self.
Patrice Carrieri, LCSW
Patrice received her Master’s Degree in Social Work from New York University. Her experience at West Bergen Mental Healthcare and Rockland Children’s Psychiatric Center (RCPC) exposed her to various diagnoses inflicting children, adults and their families. She has gained experience working with Asperger teens in a group setting, as well as high-risk adolescents struggling with depression and anxiety.
During Patrice’s employment as a Clinical Social Worker at RCPC she continued treating teens with high-risk behaviors, trauma, depression and anxiety, utilizing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). At RCPC, she pioneered a cooking group to foster life skills as well as a self-esteem group for teens challenged with depression, eating disorder and trauma. Patrice uses a preventative intervention approach to provide teens, adults and families with tools to manage struggles and obstacles throughout their life-cycle.
Michael Aitchison, LCSW-R
Michael received his Masters Degree in Social Work from Hunter College School of Social Work. His vast experience includes working in private practice with youth, families and couples, working with prison inmates and their families and teaching Montessori preschool. Michael has facilitated sexual abuse survivor groups and has produced seminars and training on family and interpersonal relationships , which include power dynamics and spiritual dimensions through various 12 step applications. He has co-facilitated male batterer’s intervention groups as well as women suffering from domestic abuse. He has taught 12 step programming and emotional development in teens and young adults.
In his 29 years of clinical practice, Michael has developed expertise in the areas of trauma, addiction, mental illness, including personality disorders. Michael is experienced in Family Systems Theory, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and Motivational Interviewing. Michael has a client centered approach taking the context for hope and direction out of the client’s own experience and life path.
Lora Mattiaccio, LCSW-R
Lora received her Master’s Degree in Social Work from New York University. She has 28 years of experience working with children, adolescents and their families in residential, inpatient and outpatient settings. Lora was responsible for creating and implementing a program at West Bergen Mental Healthcare in North New Jersey, targeting those struggling with ADHD. She also worked with children on the Autism Spectrum Disorder while at West Bergen. She is currently a clinical social worker at Rockland Children’s Psychiatric Center, where she works with a challenging client population.
This includes adolescents with suicidal and self-injurious behaviors along with depression, anxiety, aggression and psychoses. She has extensive experience in both family and group therapy and has been a staunch school advocate, helping parents navigate the special education system to obtain the services their child needs. Lora is an intensively trained Dialectical Behavioral Therapist (DBT) working with adolescents and adults both in individual and group settings. Lora has been certified to supervise both master level and postgraduate social workers.
Jessica Nobile, LCSW
Jessica received her MSW from Fordham Graduate School of Social Services. Her previous experience includes working with children in the foster care system through Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and high-risk adolescents and families struggling with trauma, depression, anxiety and substance abuse at Rockland Children’s Psychiatric Center. Jessica’s work includes assisting people in coping with life transitions that lead to or exacerbate anxiety and depression and issues related to infertility and postpartum depression/anxiety.
Jessica’s treatment approach allows clients to move from past struggles to embrace the ‘here and now’ to help them move forward in the healing process. In addition to working at Turning Point, Jessica currently holds per diem positions at Nyack Hospital conducting psychiatric assessment and evaluation in the emergency department and on Rockland Paramedic Service’s Behavioral Health Response Team (BHRT) as a mobile mental health clinician.
Dawn Serrano, LMSW
Dawn Serrano received her Master’s Degree in Social Work from New York University. Her experience at Rockland Children’s Psychiatric Center (RCPC), Birchwood School, and Astor Child and Adolescent Clinic provided her with knowledge and experience in working with individuals with diverse diagnoses. Dawn’s experience includes crisis intervention and working with individuals with high-risk behaviors, depression, anxiety, and trauma. Dawn’s work gives her a unique perspective of helping people of all ages to facilitate positive change.
While at RCPC Dawn participated in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) groups. In addition, Dawn has utilized Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and Play Therapy. Her focus on treatment when working with clients is strength-based. Dawn helps to empower her clients by utilizing different modalities of treatment centered on the individual's specific needs. Every person's needs are different and Dawn’s experience has helped her recognize that individuals need help finding their inner strength, which in turn enables them to feel empowered.