EXPERTS

MHA-NYC staff have expertise about a wide range of subjects related to behavioral health, including mental health policy, working with individuals with serious mental disorders, child/adolescent mental health, geriatric mental health, suicide prevention, supporting families affected by mental disorders, veterans' mental health and more.  To request a presentation or consultation/technical assistance, please contact Lisa Furst, LMSW, Director of Public Education at furstl@mhaofnyc.org

Karen M. Carlucci, L.C.S.W.
Training Coordinator, National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

Michelle des Roches, L.M.S.W.
Director, Adult Services and Quality Improvement

John Draper, Ph.D.
Director, National Suicide Prevention Lifeline / Senior Advisor, Mental Health Association of New York City

Ellen Friedman, Ph.D., L.C.S.W., CASAC
Project Supervisor of the New York State OASAS Hopeline

Lisa Furst, L.M.S.W.
Director of Public Education, Center for Policy, Advocacy and Education

Angela Mora-Vargas, L.M.S.W.
Supervisor, Family Resource Centers

Herb Ruben, L.C.S.W.
Project Director, Veterans Mental Health Coalition of NYC

Kathryn M. Salisbury, Ed.D., Ph.D.
Vice President, Programs

Giselle Stolper, Ed.M.
President and CEO

Christine Tabone, M.A.
Training Coordinator of Crisis and Emergency Services at LifeNet

Kimberly A. Williams, L.M.S.W.
Director, Center for Policy, Advocacy, and Education

Karen M. Carlucci, L.C.S.W., is the Training Coordinator of Standards, Training and Practices for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, a free, 24-hour hotline available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Carlucci, formerly the Director of LifeNet Operations, possesses a certificate in Training and Organizational Development and has been a Recruiting Manager and Trainer of call center staff for Fortune 500 companies, promoting best practices in customer service and delivery. She has a certificate in Adult Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy from Postgraduate Center for Mental Health and maintains a private psychotherapy practice in New York City. Carlucci received a BA in Human Resources from Muhlenberg College and an MSW in Social Work from New York University.  She is also an adjunct professor at NYU's Silver School of Social Work.

Karen M. Carlucci has expertise in discussing the following issues: adult mental health, addiction, crisis intervention, life transitions, professional development, and call trends relevant to the LifeNet hotline.

Michelle des Roches, L.M.S.W., is the Director of Adult Services and Quality Improvement for the Mental Health Association of New York City. She specializes in working with individuals in recovery from mental illness in various community settings, including street outreach, shelters and housing, vocational services, and the prison system. des Roches has extensive experience with issues relating to mentally ill chemical abusers and homelessness. She earned an MSW from Hunter College School of Social Work and a BA in psychology from Smith College.

Michelle des Roches has expertise in discussing the following issues: mental illness in recovery settings, homelessness, housing and vocational services, and the prison system.

John Draper, Ph.D., is the Director of the federally-funded National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Network (NSPL), administered by Link2Health Solutions, a subsidiary of the Mental Health Association of New York City. Since September 2004, Dr. Draper has overseen all aspects of this service that connects callers to the nearest crisis center within a network of more than 140 crisis centers across the country. Previously, Dr. Draper served as MHA-NYC's Director of Public Education and also oversaw its LifeNet Multicultural Hotline Network. Dr. Draper also worked with Interfaith Medical Center's Mobile Crisis Team in Brooklyn, where for seven years he conducted and supervised hundreds of home visits to persons in psychiatric crisis of all ages and ethnic backgrounds. In addition to his work with NSPL, Dr. Draper has a private practice in New York City, specializing in family systems and cognitive-behavioral approaches to treatment. He received his doctoral degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Dr. John Draper has expertise in discussing the following issues: suicide and suicide prevention, depression, crisis hotlines, and post-traumatic stress disorder and public mental health issues following disasters.

Ellen Friedman, Ph.D., L.C.S.W., CASAC, is the Project Supervisor of the New York State OASAS Hopeline. The Hopeline provides referrals to substance abuse and problem gambling programs throughout New York State.  Dr. Friedman also teaches in the Post-Master's Substance Abuse Program at New York University Silver School of Social work, is a grant reviewer for SAMHSA grants and has a private practice as a psychotherapist and supervisor.  Prior to joining the staff at MHA-NYC, she served as director and clinical director at many substance abuse treatment programs including: methadone maintenance programs, outpatient, inpatient detoxification and a therapeutic community. She has contributed three book chapters on substance abuse and HIV/AIDS. She has done numerous presentations at local, national and international conferences. Dr. Friedman has a Master's in Social Work from Hunter College School of Social Work, a certificate in psychoanalytic psychotherapy from Metropolitan Institute and a PhD in Clinical Social Work from New York University Silver School of Social Work .

Dr. Ellen Friedman has expertise in discussing the following issues: addiction, substance abuse, mental health, and gambling.

Lisa Furst, L.M.S.W., is the Director of Public Education at the Center for Policy, Advocacy and Education for the Mental Health Association of New York City. She is also the Director of Education for the Geriatric Mental Health Alliance of New York. In her current role, Furst develops and implements public education campaigns designed to provide accurate, science-based information about mental health, mental illnesses and their treatment to professionals, paraprofessionals and the general public. In addition, Furst has developed particular expertise in geriatric mental health and implements training and technical assistance programs which educate the general public as well as professionals about mental health issues affecting older adults. Furst received her MSW degree from the Hunter College School of Social Work and is a licensed social worker in New York State.

Lisa Furst has expertise in discussing the following issues: depression, anxiety, stress management and geriatric mental health.

Angela Mora-Vargas, L.M.S.W., is Supervisor for the Family Resource Centers in Western Queens, Northern and Southern Manhattan, and Northern and Southern Bronx. She is responsible for supervising and coordinating the services being offered by each of the five Family Resource Centers under the Mental Health Association of New York City. She assesses the training needs of current staff and provides the clinical supervision necessary to ensure family-centered, strength-based services are rendered to everyone that receives services through the Family Resource Centers. Mora-Vargas received her MSW degree from the New York University School of Social Work in 2006 and is a licensed social worker in New York State.

Angela Mora-Vargas has expertise in discussing the following issues: child and family services.

Herb Ruben, L.C.S.W., is the Project Director for the Veterans Mental Health Coalition of NYC and the Veterans Health Alliance of Long Island. A veteran himself, Ruben spent nearly three years with the First Marine Division in World War II. For the past 52 years, he had been Executive Director of Peninsula Counseling Center, an OMH and OASAS licensed community mental health center located in Valley Stream, NY, and the largest mental health facility in Nassau County. He received an MA degree from the University of Chicago's School of Social Service Administration.

Herb Ruben has expertise in discussing veterans services, parent-child issues, and marriage and family life issues.

Kathryn M. Salisbury, Ed.D., Ph.D., is Vice President, Programs of the Mental Health Association of New York City. Dr. Salisbury has over 25 years of experience as a clinician, administrator, educator, consultant and policymaker focusing on mental health issues. In her current role, she has been instrumental in the development of innovative programs and community partnerships including the Family Resource Centers and Staying in Balance, a program to help New Yorkers and the human service agencies that serve them better manage stress in an uncertain economy. Dr. Salisbury has held a variety of leadership positions including Executive Director of the Connecticut Commission on Children, Director of the Connecticut Pediatric AIDS Program, and Chief Project Officer of the Coordinated Children's Services Initiative at MHA-NYC. Dr. Salisbury received an Ed.D. in Educational Policy Studies and a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She is Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine.

Kathryn M. Salisbury has expertise in discussing the following issues: depression, anxiety, stress management, mental health, children's mental health and mental health policy.

Giselle Stolper, Ed.M., is President and CEO of Mental Health Association of New York City. Under her leadership, MHA-NYC has led the way in providing mental health services, advocacy and education to minimize the stigma of mental illness and help people lead healthier and more fulfilling lives. Stolper oversees MHA-NYC's premier programs, including the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and LifeNet, both recognized nationally and internationally as model programs. Since her appointment in 1990, she has taken the agency from an operating budget of $250,000 to over $15 million, and has overseen the development and implementation of innovative and non-traditional direct service community programs. Previously, Stolper worked for the New York State Office of Mental Health at the Children's Psychiatric Center in Manhattan, where she held several management positions. Stolper received her undergraduate degree from New York University, and she received her MA and Ed.M. degrees in Special Education and Program from Columbia University, Teachers College.

Giselle Stolper has expertise in discussing the following issues: depression, anxiety, stress management, mental health and mental health policy.

Christine Tabone, M.A., is the Training Coordinator of Crisis and Emergency Services at LifeNet, a program of the Mental Health Association New York City. LifeNet is the only toll-free, multi-lingual, multicultural crisis intervention hotline offering support, information and referrals to treatment providers for mental health and substance-use issues. Ms. Tabone holds a Masters degree in Psychology from Hunter College and has worked at the Mental Health Association for eleven years.

Ms. Tabone began her work as a Referral Specialist for three years offering support, referrals and psychoeducation to callers to the LifeNet hotline. In her current role, Ms. Tabone has worked to provide outreach to the New York City Police Department in an effort to educate officers about LifeNet's services. She is also a member of the LINK Committee, which is comprised of professionals and community advocates with the goal of improving interactions between the NYPD and those struggling with mental illness. Additionally, she provides clinical support and training to Referral Specialists, and assists the Program Director to create policy, procedures, and training materials.

Ms. Tabone is an ASIST Registered Trainer, (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) and co-facilitates a yearly ASIST training to all new staff and interns. Ms Tabone has also worked on behalf of MHA at a 211 call center in Louisiana in the days after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and again in Texas following Hurricane Ike in 2008.

Christine Tabone has expertise in discussing the following issues: crisis intervention, risk assessment, and call trends relevant to the LifeNet hotline,

Kimberly A. Williams, L.M.S.W., is the Director of the Center for Policy, Advocacy, and Education of the Mental Health Association of New York City. Williams serves on numerous advisory and planning groups such as The National Coalition on Mental Health and Aging, the New York State Department of Health's Long-Term Care Advisory Council, the New York City Adult Protective Services Advisory Council, and One Stop Senior Services, where she a member of the board. Williams also teaches at New York University's School of Social Work. She received her MSW in Social Work from Columbia University, where she was a founding member of the Student Social Workers' Alliance for a Progressive Society (SSWAPS).

Kimberly A. Williams has expertise in discussing the following issues: geriatric mental health and mental health policy.