March 8th marks the celebration of International Women’s Day, and at North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center, we are lucky and proud that our Associate Executive Director is a woman well worth celebrating.
Barros-Rivera received her Masters in Social Work from SUNY at Stony Brook in 1980. Since acquiring her degree she has been dedicated to working with children, youth and families who have been impacted by psychosocial stressors such as high poverty, drug and alcohol abuse, mental illness and trauma.
She directly supervises multiple programs and staff at the Guidance Center and has been in an administrative position with us since 1989, when she was hired to develop and implement Drug and Alcohol treatment services for the agency. One of the programs she supervises is the Intensive Support Program, a collaborative effort developed by Nassau B.O.C.E.S and the Guidance Center that provides a therapeutic and nurturing alternative, offering intensive mental health services onsite at three schools for students ages 5-21 from all 56 Nassau County school districts.
As a bicultural and bilingual mental health professional, Barros-Rivera is particularly sensitive to the special needs of the immigrant Latino family, and she has worked diligently to implement culturally appropriate services that provide quality care for that population.
One example is her founding and development of the Guidance Center’s Latina Girls Project, an innovative program that employs individual, group and family therapy, along with monthly outings and other activities, to help first-generation Latina teens. She both supervises this program and also works directly with the teenagers, helping them overcome anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation and cultural conflicts within their families.
Andrew Malekoff, Executive Director and CEO of the Guidance Center, says Barros-Rivera’s contribution to the organization is critical to our success. “Regina is involved on every level, from conducting client therapy with individual, families and groups to creating innovative programs that have helped heal thousands of children, teens and families,” he says.
Last year, Barros-Rivera was honored at the 2017 “What’s Great in Our State—A Celebration of Children’s Mental Health Awareness” for her leadership role in the organization. The event honors individuals and programs that are successfully addressing the issues of children’s mental health, including work on early identification, outreach, family education and providing mental health awareness in schools.
On this International Women’s Day, we thank Regina Barros-Rivera for being a champion for children, teens and families who come to us seeking help. To them, she is a true heroine.
