Joe shares his transformative journey from gun violence and incarceration to becoming a social worker. He highlights his motivations, including the birth of his daughter and the desire to break the cycle of crime as his “Why?” while uplifting the importance of lived experience in therapy, advocating for more clinicians with similar backgrounds and his work with the alternative-to-incarceration program CASES.

Guest Bio:
Joseph (Joe) Williams, LCSW, is a formerly incarcerated Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Psychotherapist, and Lyfe-Chess Strategist. Joe grew up in the Brownsville & East New York sections of Brooklyn. He received his Bachelors from Bard College’s Prison Initiative (BPI) in 2013 while incarcerated, and shortly after release, received his Masters of Social Work (MSW) from Columbia University. Joe is currently pursuing his Doctorate of Social Work (DSW ‘25) at NYU, with over a decade of experience providing trauma-informed talk-therapy, counseling, and success mentoring to youth, young adults, families, and communities from all walks of life.

Contact/Socials
Email: joewilllcsw@gmail.com
Instagram: joe4gi
Website: lyfechessynk.com

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Gabi and Paula converse about her career trajectory, starting out as a foster care social worker, transitioning to Founding Social Worker & Director of Social Services at Mott Haven Academy Charter School and involvement with launching a program at NYU Silver School of Social Work designed specifically to train school social workers. She highlights need for specialized training for school social workers, noting the complexity of their roles and the lack of consistent support. They emphasized the importance of community, data utilization, and professional development as well as discussed the challenges of advocating for oneself in the school system and the need for increased quality professional development opportunities.

Guest Bio:
Gabriella McBride, LCSW, DSW, earned her MSW degree from CSSW in 2006 and DSW from NYU in 2023. Following a supervisory role at New York Foundling, she joined Mott Haven Academy Charter School in 2009, where she served as a Founding Social Worker and the Director of Social Services until 2021. Gabriella has supervised MSW students since 2007 and has taught as an adjunct faculty member at NYU Silver since 2016. Gabriella's teaching is influenced by critical pedagogy, aiming to transform social work practice both within the classroom and in practicum placements. Gabriella's doctoral capstone was on using simulation in social work education and dialogic pedagogy in classrooms as an anti-racist teaching practice. Currently, Gabriella is involved with launching the School Social Work Training Academy at NYU Silver School of Social Work, a program dedicated to training school social workers serving youth and families in New York City. Gabriella is also a proud mama of two beautiful children.

Contact/Socials
Email: gc85@nyu.edu
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriella-mcbride-6a73b069/

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Jaran shines a light on his experiences as a Functional Family Therapist and discusses some of the challenges he has observed in his work with youth and families, particularly during the early days of the pandemic, highlighting rising truancy and violence among youth. He reflects on the impact of societal and personal expectations as well as the value of self-compassion and creating safe spaces to foster growth and reflection.

Guest Bio:
Jaran David Manzanet, MSW is from The Bronx and is now a resident of Harlem. He works as a Functional Family Therapist, helping youths between the ages of 11-18 build support systems with family members and their communities. He has been in Social Service since 2014 and has helped on Community Board projects for Harlem’s District 10. Currently awaiting to retake the License Exam, Jaran David is also deciding on the best options for continuing education in the field of social work.

Contact/Socials:
Email: jmanzanet@fordham.edu
Instagram: atlasrum_87
X: @atlasrum

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