I know the power of letting a child's and teenager's voice be heard, and to feel that their story is their own.
Maurissa Szilagi,
LCSW, Ed.M
I have seen so many changes in the field of mental health and therapy since I entered it as a child/adolescent struggling to find attachment with others, including my own parents. I was lucky enough to connect with my therapist early on and begin the “work” toward understanding my own traumas and experiences, including how they impacted the relationships (and healthy ones) I so badly wanted.
I am someone who truly gets what it is like for children and teenagers to attend therapy and be successful in it. And by successful, I mean being able to have healthy, happy, stable, and committed relationships with others.
Although I may have similar experiences as my clients, no one client is the same, nor do we process and feel the same way about things that happen to us in life. It is with this mutual understanding that I can build a strong relationship with your child and teenager, help them heal, empower them for greatness, and support them in having the same relationship with others in their lives.
In my work with families involved in the foster care system, I often help them navigate through their own experience of attachment, which has many times led to the successful adoption of children placed in their homes. Additionally, I have spent most of my career supporting families through WrapAround intensive services, providing one-on-one support, and working collaboratively within school and residential settings to provide teens with a safe place to communicate their needs.
Education
I have a Master of Education Degree in Psychology and Human Development from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. I am currently a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Southern California, I am in Private Practice in Westlake Village, California.
Certifications
Specialities
I help families identify ways to connect while also repairing the relationship and helping reduce distressing behaviors amongst everyone in the family.
I support your relationship with yourself to strengthen your relationship with your child.
Speaking Videos
Click to watch video
Presentations and Publications
Speaker: Led discussions with Harvard Law students on best practices for foster youth, Speaker Thursdays, Cambridge, MA, October-December 2011
Panelist: “Keeping the Promise to Our Children,” Children Uniting Nations National Conference, Washington, D.C., July 2012
Author: “Hopeless to Harvard: Why Educational Stability for All Students in Foster Care Needs to Happen Now,” Huffington Post, October 2011
Author: “In My Own Words: Overcoming the disadvantages in the child welfare system,” Chronicle of Social Change, Fostering Media Connections, October 2011
Award Winner: Association of Community Human Services Agencies Inspiration Award Winner for 2013
Community Outreach
Health Education Advocates & Research Board Member January 2014-Current
Southern California Foster Family and Adoption Agency Board Member August 2012- August 2013
Policy and Advocacy Experience
Policy and Community Building MSW, California Youth Connection
Policy Office of Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.)
Policy, Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute
Program Director at REACH: Boston
Lets Connect Today
Does it sound like I am a good match for you? Or for you and your child, or teen?