Director of Clinical Support and Enhancement
Services for the UnderServed
Brooklyn, New York
With roots in theater and psychology, Dani obtained a Master’s Degree in Drama Therapy from New York University, having experienced firsthand the healing power of the creative arts. Dani began her career as a Clinical Drama Therapist at one of Mount Sinai Hospital’s top acute care behavioral health units providing group therapy for patients in treatment for mental health and substance use disorders (SUD), including those in the Prodromal stage of illness. She then transitioned to Interfaith Medical Center, a community based hospital, treating individuals with complex and intergenerational trauma(s) that perpetuated the debilitating impact of untreated mental health and SUD symptoms. It is at Interfaith that Dani honed her person-centered engagement skills, utilizing story, role play, metaphor and movement as means through which participants in treatment could begin to re-shape their narratives. With a particular interest in treating trauma, Dani began her work with S:US as a primary therapist at the Wellness Works Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) in Brooklyn, combining arts-based interventions with a psychodynamic approach, having received her certification in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy from The Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy in New York, where she also served as a member of program training committee. Working with S:US now for 8 years, Dani has held various other positions including Clinical Supervisor and Clinical Coordinator. Currently as the Director of Clinical Support & Enhancement, Dani develops and facilitates a range of site-specific and nuanced staff trainings on critical engagement strategies, trauma informed care practices and complexities within the arc of mental health and SUD treatment for marginalized and underserved communities. Dani has presented on her work at the ACLAIMH conference, The North American Drama Therapy Association national conference and is a participant of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing’s Advancing Health Equity through Integrated Health and Clinical Practice collaborative ECHO series where she continues to advance her learning to exercise cultural humility, diminish stigmatization and utilize best practices in affirming care.
Monday, April 15, 2024
4:15 PM – 5:15 PM CT