https://linktr.ee/gowestchestertherapy

Gowestchestertherapy, Westchester County, New York, NY (2026)

10/02/2026

Wonderful morning of professional learning, connection, and collaboration!

Today, the NYSSSWA Westchester Division, in collaboration with NYSUT, was pleased to welcome Laura Rice Stein for an engaging presentation on “Implementing Just Practice in Your School Social Work Practice.”

Laura shared valuable information, practical strategies, and thoughtful perspectives that encouraged us to reflect on meaning, history, context, power, and possibility in our work with students and families. It was a wonderful presentation and such an important and relevant conversation for school social workers!

A special thank you to Courtney Hill from NYSUT for her partnership and for helping make this morning’s event possible. We truly appreciate the continued collaboration and support.

If you are a school social worker in Westchester County and are interested in becoming more involved with the New York State School Social Workers’ Association (NYSSSWA), please reach out to Westchester Division Co-Chairs Jacqueline Sanchez-Young or Monique Johnson. We would love to connect with you and continue building our local professional community!

Be on the lookout for future NYSSSWA Westchester Division events. We look forward to more opportunities to learn, network, collaborate, and support one another! Rice Stein Hill
Sanchez-Young NYS School Social Workers' Assn.

Also don’t forget to sign up for The New York State School Social Work Conference in Ithaca NY November 11-13. 2026. Www.nyssswa.org

08/30/2026

There’s something about this week that brings up all the feelings.

The excitement of a new school year. A fresh start. Seeing colleagues and students again. Wondering what this year will bring.

And at the same time… not quite being ready to give up summer. The slower mornings. The freedom. The break from schedules, alarms, emails, meetings and everything else that comes with the school year.

Two things can be true.

You can be excited to go back AND wish summer lasted a little longer.

You can love what you do AND feel overwhelmed thinking about everything that needs to get done.

You can be looking forward to seeing your students AND still need a little time to get yourself back into school mode.

That’s the dialectical part of DBT that I come back to again and again. We don’t always have to pick one feeling or talk ourselves out of the other. Sometimes both are true.

So as we head back this week, maybe the goal isn’t to feel completely ready.

Maybe it’s just to give ourselves a little grace while we find our rhythm again.

Wishing all of my fellow educators a good start to the school year. ❤️

08/26/2026

Maybe Dolly Parton was teaching us DBT all along.

“The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.”

“Find out who you are and do it on purpose.”

Two simple pieces of wisdom. And yet, they capture so much of what we practice in DBT.

Accepting the reality we are in, even when we wish it were different.

Learning how to tolerate the rain without allowing it to convince us that the sun isn’t coming back.

Finding our Wise Mind and choosing to live intentionally, according to who we are and what matters to us.

Dolly gave us so much more than music. She gave us humor, authenticity, resilience, kindness and a way of looking at life that made hard things feel a little more manageable.

Maybe that’s why her words resonate with so many of us.

Which of these two Dolly quotes speaks to you most right now?

Save this for a rainy day, or share it with someone who could use a little Dolly wisdom today.

Rest in peace, Dolly. Thank you for the music, the laughter and the life lessons.

08/18/2026

Sometimes life doesn’t show up the way you expected.

Sometimes it shows up as a deer. On the beach. 🦌🏖️

You can spend your energy asking, “Why is this happening?”

Or you can look around, take it in, and think…

Well, this is unexpected.

A little reminder that not everything needs to make sense for us to be present for it.

❤️

08/11/2026

🍳 PERSISTENCE… OR BOUNDARY PUSHING?

We all grew up thinking Sam-I-Am was just really persistent.

But now that I look at Green Eggs and Ham as an adult, I’m thinking…

Was this persistence?

Or was Sam-I-Am completely ignoring a boundary? 😂

Because this man said NO.

Over and over and over again.

And Sam just kept coming back with another version of:

What about here?
What about there?
What about with a fox?
What about in a box?

And I have to admit, this one made me look at myself a little too. 😂

My colleagues have a running joke:

“There’s no saying no to Moe.”

And listen… they’re not entirely wrong. 😂

I can be persistent. I can make a case. And if I really believe in something, I’m probably going to tell you exactly why I think you should consider it.

But there’s an important difference between being persuasive and refusing to respect someone’s boundary.

That’s where DBT Interpersonal Effectiveness comes in.

DEAR MAN teaches us that we CAN advocate for what we want.

We can clearly describe the situation.
Express how we feel.
Assert what we’re asking for.
Reinforce why it might be worthwhile.

We can stay mindful, appear confident, and even negotiate.

In other words, DBT isn’t telling us not to ask.

It’s teaching us how to ask effectively while still respecting the other person.

Because eventually, no has to be allowed to mean no.

And there’s another side to this too.

Maybe you’re the person saying no, but you immediately feel like you have to explain it, defend it, justify it, soften it, or make sure the other person is okay with it.

You don’t.

Sometimes:

“No, thank you.”

really is enough.

Because boundaries aren’t just about learning how to SAY no.

They’re also about learning how to HEAR no.

So now I really want to know…

🍳 Was Sam-I-Am persistent?

Or was he a boundary pusher?

And for those who know me personally… am I Sam-I-Am? 😂

Tell me what you think in the comments.

08/11/2026

📌 SAVE THE DATE | Friday, October 2

School Social Workers, School Psychologists, and School Counselors throughout Westchester and the surrounding region, we hope you’ll join us!

We’re excited to share an upcoming professional learning and networking opportunity featuring Laura Rice Stein, PhD, LCSW, MS.Ed., presenting:

“Just Practice”: Implementing in Your School Social Work Practice

The Just Practice Framework offers an equity based approach to strengthening relationships and partnerships with students, families, and school communities. Participants will be introduced to the framework’s five tenets: meaning, history, context, power, and possibility, and explore how they can inform our work and help build shared language across school teams.

📅 Friday, October 2
⏰ 8:30–10:30 AM
📍 NYSUT Tarrytown Regional Office
🎓 1.0 CE for licensed social workers
☕ Light refreshments, workshop, Q&A, and networking

Please help us spread the word! If you know a School Social Worker, School Psychologist, or School Counselor who would benefit from this conversation, tag them or share this post with them.

Looking forward to bringing our regional school mental health community together for an opportunity to learn, connect, and strengthen our practice.

NYS School Social Workers' Assn. Jacqueline NYSUT - A Union of Professionals Laura

08/10/2026

Registration is officially open for the 61st Annual New York State School Social Work Conference!

This November, school social workers from across New York State will come together in Ithaca for three days of connection, professional learning, collaboration, and conversations about the work we are doing every day to support students, families, and school communities.

As the Westchester Regional Co-Representative, I would love to see a strong Westchester presence in Ithaca this year!

And here’s where I could use your help. If you know a school social worker in Westchester, or anywhere in New York State, please share this post with them. Tag a colleague, send them the information, or simply help us spread the word. There are school social workers doing incredible work in districts across our region who may not yet be connected to the larger professional community available to them.

📅 November 11–13, 2026
📍 Ithaca Conference Center, Ithaca, NY

Come learn. Come connect. Come share what is working in your schools. And most importantly, come be part of a statewide community that understands the unique and essential role of school social work.

Westchester school social workers, who’s heading to Ithaca? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

NYS School Social Workers' Assn. Jacqueline

08/04/2026

Have you ever made a decision that you immediately regretted?

Maybe you fired off the text.
Maybe you reacted in anger.
Maybe you stayed silent because fear took over.

We’ve all been there.

In DBT, we call this Emotion Mind. It’s when our feelings take the driver’s seat. On the other hand, Reasonable Mind relies only on facts and logic, sometimes overlooking what our emotions are trying to tell us.

Wise Mind is where the two come together.

It’s the place where emotion and reason work together instead of competing.

Wise Mind doesn’t ignore your feelings.
It doesn’t dismiss the facts.

It listens to both before deciding what comes next.

The next time you’re facing a difficult decision, pause and ask yourself:

Am I reacting from Emotion Mind?
Am I relying only on logic?
Or have I slowed down long enough to hear my Wise Mind?

Sometimes the most important decision we make isn’t what we do.

It’s taking a moment before we do it.

Pause. Reflect. Practice.

DBT in Real Life
Practical psychology skills for everyday moments.

What helps you get back to your Wise Mind when emotions run high?

❤️ ❤️

07/30/2026

DBT in Real Life | Episode 2: Weathering the Storm

This week reminded us of something we often forget.

We can’t control the weather.

The storms came whether we wanted them to or not. Plans changed. Commutes were delayed. Outdoor events were canceled. For many of us, our mood changed right along with the forecast.

Life works the same way.

We don’t get to choose every challenge, disappointment, or unexpected change that comes our way. We do get to choose how we respond.

In DBT, this is called Radical Acceptance.

Radical Acceptance doesn’t mean we like what’s happening. It doesn’t mean we approve of it or stop caring.

It means acknowledging reality as it is so we can respond effectively instead of spending our energy fighting what we cannot change.

Acceptance is not giving up.

It’s the starting point for moving forward.

The next time life doesn’t go according to plan, pause and ask yourself:

What is outside of my control?

What is within my control?

Then choose your next step from Wise Mind.

Because while you can’t control the storm, you can choose your response.

What’s the psychological lesson here?

Pause. Reflect. Practice.

What “storm” are you navigating right now?

07/27/2026

It was a pleasure presenting alongside Dr. Michelle Myers at the Southern Westchester BOCES Institute for Inclusive Learning.

Together, we presented Beyond Behavior: DBT Informed Strategies to Create Inclusive, Emotionally Safe Learning Environments.

We explored how DBT informed strategies can help educators look beyond behavior to better understand the emotions, stress, and nervous system responses that often influence student behavior. Our session focused on practical, evidence informed approaches that educators can use to strengthen relationships, reduce escalation, and create emotionally safe, inclusive learning environments where every student has the opportunity to thrive.

Thank you to Southern Westchester BOCES for bringing together educators and leaders who are so deeply committed to supporting students and one another. We appreciated the thoughtful discussions, meaningful engagement, and shared commitment to creating schools where every student feels seen, supported, and ready to learn.

I am grateful for the opportunity to have been part of such a meaningful day and look forward to continuing these important conversations.

SWBOCES Michelle

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