Christina Ward – 91��Ƭ

91��Ƭ’s Family Service Bureau of Newark Hosts Event Highlighting Addiction and Mental Health

Michelle Lang — Fri, 03 May 2024 19:44:30 +0000

91��Ƭ’s Family Service Bureau of Newark (FSB) hosted A Gathering of Hope & Healing on April 27 to raise awareness about addiction and mental health. The event, held at Monsignor William J. Linder Plaza, 233 West Market St., Newark, featured a display from , an addiction and overdose awareness group from New Jersey that travels with posters showcasing those lost to addiction.

FSB Director Christina Ward organized A Gathering of Hope & Healing with her team and The Black Poster Project. In addition to the display, FSB staff members offered free grief counseling for anyone in need.

“This is a really special event,” Ward said.

The Black Poster Project brought about 200 of its 750 posters depicting individuals who lost their lives because of addiction and mental health issues. The display included a section with members of the military and another with family members who died from addiction. The posters, which included photos of the individuals as well as text about them, filled the atrium of the venue. Visitors were able to browse the display at their own pace.

The Black Poster Project founder Dee Gillen said the purpose of the display is not to make people sad but to honor those lost as well as to help those in recovery.

“You have to hear both sides,” she said. “You have to hear the recovery stories and the loss stories because people won’t understand how much work it takes to stay clean and sober. And that’s why we do it.”

The Black Poster Project Event Coordinator Dawn Pizzolato said the display also puts a face and a sense of humanity to overdose statistics.

“It could be anybody,” she said. “It could be you, it could be your friend, your neighbor.”

In addition to the display, the event featured three speakers who discussed their experiences with addiction and offered words of encouragement to those in attendance.

Actor Lillo Brancato Jr., best known for his performances in A Bronx Tale and The Sopranos, shared his story of addiction which caused him physical and emotional pain and ultimately cost him his freedom.

Brancato said his addiction was the cause of breakups, serious bodily injury to himself and the loss of a police officer’s life for which he served time in jail. Although he wasn’t the person to shoot and kill the officer, he was implicated in the crime because he had broken a window to get the attention of someone he knew to have drugs, which was considered a burglary attempt. Since the person he was with shot and killed the officer, Brancato was charged with felony murder because the officer was killed during the commission of a felony. Ultimately, Brancato was acquitted of the most serious charges but found guilty of attempted burglary in the first degree with bodily harm to a non-party. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

It took many years and nearly dying from an overdose in prison for Brancato to hear the message from a friend that he had to stop using.

“A million times before people tell you this. When you’re ready, you’re ready. And that day I was ready. I didn’t shrug it off. It really resonated with me,” Brancato said. “I’m all shackled up and as restricted as I was, I hadn’t felt that free in so long because I just felt like God was going to give me another chance.”

Brancato stopped using drugs and worked on his case with his lawyer. While serving his sentence after trial, he earned his GED and a two-year degree. Since his release from prison, he has returned to acting and helps others in recovery.

His message is to have hope in the future.

“Things always get better one way or the other,” he said. “Either the situation itself gets better or your ability to deal with it will get better.”

He encourages everyone to take control of their circumstances.

“We decide how we want to live our lives. And to use what we’ve learned and all the mistakes that we’ve made,” he said. “It’s very important not to keep making those mistakes.”

Author and podcaster Richard Kaufman spoke at A Gathering of Hope & Healing about his addiction which started with alcohol at the age of 11. When he was 20 years old, he robbed a police officer and was facing a grand larceny charge, which would have meant five years in prison. Instead, the police officer offered him the opportunity to attend meetings and drug court, which changed his life. He has remained sober since then, 35 years ago.

“The three most important words in the English language are: ‘Today I decide.’ I decide if I live or if I die. I decide if I go to bed an addict or I wake up clean,” Kaufman said. “You can either be a victim or you can be a victor. And if you’re standing in this room and if you have five minutes clean, you are a victor. You no longer have to be a victim of your past.”

Director of Community Hills Early Learning Center (CHELC) Daniel Charles spoke at the event to serve as an inspiration for those in recovery and battling addiction.

“I’m coming to let you know that if I can get 31 years clean, one day at a time, the hope is that you may be able to do it too,” he said. “And I know if I can do it, you can do it.”

Family Service Bureau of Newark (FSB) is a licensed outpatient mental health and substance abuse treatment center, welcoming the use of medication assisted treatment and psychiatric intervention. FSB has offices in Newark and Kearny. For more information or to make an appointment, call the Newark office at 973-412-2056 or call the Kearny office at 201-246-8077. You can also email fsbaccess@newcommunity.org or visit fsbofnewark.org for more information.

From Interns to Licensed Professional Counselors: Two FSB Clinicians Share Their Journeys

Michelle Lang — Fri, 30 Sep 2022 19:45:59 +0000

Alexander Arici and Kimberly Lipari started their careers in mental health services as interns at Family Service Bureau of Newark (FSB), an affiliate of 91��Ƭ. Both were earning master’s degrees at Montclair State University when they became interns at FSB and both recently became licensed professional counselors (LPCs) working at the agency.

New Jersey requires counselors to be licensed. There are two levels of licensure: licensed associate counselor (LAC) and licensed professional counselor (LPC). Both Arici and Lipari obtained their LAC after completing the graduate program at Montclair State University and passing the National Counselor Examination. Those with an LAC must work under supervision for 4,500 hours, or approximately three years, before becoming eligible to apply for an LPC license. Arici and Lipari both worked at FSB under supervision for the required time and received their LPC licenses in August. Now they are permitted to provide services independently.

Both Arici and Lipari decided to pursue a career in counseling because they wanted to help people. Lipari always wanted to help her siblings and friends when she was young and a high school class made an impact.

“I remember I took a psychology course in high school and it was so interesting to me. I found a calling for it,” she said. “So that’s what I did with my bachelor’s and when I graduated, there’s really not much you can do with your bachelor’s in psychology so I was looking for different things in the field. And being a counselor, it would help people. It felt like something I needed to do.”

Arici had experience receiving services. He was in foster care and had what he describes as a good therapist when he was a teenager. But he didn’t decide to pursue that line of work until he was in college working toward a different degree.

“I was going to school for computer science and then I decided about a year and a half into my program, I don’t really want to pursue this any more,” he said. “I was taking a psychology class at the time and I liked it. So I pursued that instead.”

When the time came to think about a job after graduation, Arici said he had the choice of social work or counseling. He chose counseling because he wanted to “help people deal with their problems and how to solve those problems.”

Arici graduated from Rutgers University in New Brunswick with a major in psychology and a minor in sociology. He started interning at FSB in 2018 while pursuing his graduate degree and graduated from Montclair State University in 2019 with a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling. That same year he became a permanent employee at the agency.

“I probably chose FSB because they’re a very community-oriented clinic with a high client population and that stood out to me,” he said.

Lipari attended Rowan University for her undergraduate degree and graduated with a major in psychology and a minor in Spanish. She began her internship at FSB in May of 2017 while completing the graduate program at Montclair State University. She knew others at Montclair State University had interned at the agency and reached out to see if there was an opportunity. When her internship ended and she graduated with a Master of Arts in clinical mental health counseling in May of 2018, she wanted to become an employee at FSB, but there were no open positions at the time. Luckily for her, a position became available shortly after and she became a permanent employee in July of 2018. Aside from feeling comfortable at FSB and already knowing the procedures and clientele, Lipari said the agency offered supervision, which is required with the LAC license she had at the time.

“They give us supervision, which is really important, which you need to get your LPC. A lot of jobs don’t offer that. You have to pay out of pocket,” she explained. “That’s one of the good things about working here. They really give you the support that you need to succeed and move forward.”

FSB Director Christina Ward is happy to assist clinicians during their careers.

“Alex and Kim started here as interns and it’s been a rewarding experience watching them grow as clinicians,” Ward said. “Getting a clinical license is a journey in and of itself requiring a lot of education and a lot of clinical work hours. I have no doubt both Alex and Kim will show continued success in the counseling field.”

91��Ƭ Chief Operating Officer Fred Hunter said he enjoys recognizing employees’ accomplishments.

“It’s great to acknowledge our hardworking frontline staff,” he said. “I think it’s exciting to celebrate their dedication to their clients, residents and coworkers, which seems to be a common theme here at 91��Ƭ.”

As mental health clinicians for FSB, Arici and Lipari meet with clients one-on-one, provide case management, conduct outreach and work on treatment plans. They both work out of the Kearny office.

Arici’s favorite part of the job is the variety it brings with each unique client.

“Everybody’s different. I enjoy that part of the job. Every day feels different. Every session feels different,” he said. “I’m a people person. So I really enjoy that part of the job. It’s very rewarding at the end of the day.”

Lipari enjoys her clients’ successes.

“My favorite part is when I see people succeeding,” she said. “It’s nice when I’m seeing a client for a while and they’re starting to hit those goals and start implementing the different strategies we talk about. It’s rewarding to see that I’m having an impact on their mental health.”

Family Service Bureau of Newark is a licensed outpatient mental health and substance abuse treatment center with two locations. The Newark office is located at 274 South Orange Ave., Newark, and the Kearny office is located at 379 Kearny Ave., Kearny. FSB aims to provide each consumer with the resources needed to improve their quality of life. If you are interested in services, please call the Newark office at 973-412-2056 or the Kearny office at 201-246-8077 or email fsbaccess@newcommunity.org. More information is available online at fsbofnewark.org.

Family Service Bureau of Newark Promotes Employee to Director Role

Michelle Lang — Tue, 30 Aug 2022 18:21:29 +0000

Family Service Bureau of Newark (FSB) has promoted its new leader from within. Christina Ward, who previously served as the Director of Clinical Services, became FSB Director on July 16.

Ward first joined FSB in February 2021 as Director of Clinical Services for both the Newark and Kearny locations. She initially wanted to work at FSB to have a supervisory role. When the opportunity arose to lead the agency, she decided to apply for that position.

“I am really excited to promote Christina Ward to FSB Director. She previously served as the Director of Clinical Services and now will have the overall responsibility for FSB,” said 91��Ƭ Chief Operating Officer Fred Hunter. “Christina has a lot of mental health and substance abuse experience and I am looking forward to FSB’s continued community impact under her leadership.”

As FSB Director, Ward oversees both the Newark and Kearny offices. Her responsibilities include running staff meetings, correspondence with state agencies, grant reporting, grant research and signing progress notes.

Ward previously worked as a corrections officer where she was introduced to social work. An injury forced her to leave that position. She then worked at a halfway house and decided to pursue a master’s degree in social work.

“I ended up just really enjoying it and being very good at it,” she said. “So then I got an internship at Integrity House, and that’s where I got basically all of my training.”

Ward interned at Integrity House while in school and was then hired as a counselor, which helped propel her career forward. After Integrity House, she worked at New Jersey Reentry Corporation due to her unique experience with law enforcement and social work. She then moved on to Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Treatment Center as a Team Lead, which provided her with more on-the-job training and prepared her for the move to FSB. She had worked in managerial roles in previous industries, like retail, before entering the Health and Human Services field and decided to combine the two skills.

Ward finds her work rewarding.

“My favorite part of the field is watching people grow,” she said. “Having them come to you with an issue and then actually seeing them work through the issue and then leaving with hope for their future.”

Ward grew up in Newark and only recently moved out of the city. That has helped her in her roles at FSB.

“I relate to a lot of the people from this area,” she said.

After graduating high school in Newark, Ward earned her bachelor’s degree in Technical Management from DeVry University and is a member of the Sigma Beta Delta honor society. She earned her master’s degree in Social Work at Rutgers University and is a member of the Phi Alpha honor society.

Ward got married in April and moved to Lyndhurst with her wife.

She is an artist and creates work with spray paint. When she was young, she attended Arts High School in Newark for its summer arts program and attended high school there for communications. She initially was an art major in college but decided to keep it as a hobby instead of a career. In her spare time, she also enjoys playing video games.