Child Guidance Center Taps New Crisis Director

STAMFORD, CT/July 12, 2013 – The Child Guidance Center of Southern Connecticut (CGC) is pleased to announce the promotion of Dr. Jessica Welt, PsyD, to the position of Director, Crisis Services. Dr. Welt had previously served at CGC as Director of the Agency’s Greenwich Community Office. She replaces Dr. Deborah Matthews, PhD, who is transitioning into the role of Director, Admissions & Assessment.

CGC’s Emergency Mobile Psychiatric Services (EMPS) program provides immediate mental health assessment and crisis stabilization services for children and adolescents. Young people treated in the EMPS program may be suicidal and are often struggling with serious behavioral problems. Some may have witnessed and been traumatized by a community emergency, such as a large-scale act of violence. In the overwhelming majority of cases, CGC’s expertly trained clinicians are able to stabilize emergencies at home, school, or in the community and avoid the more costly and disruptive alternatives of hospitalization or out-of home placement.

“We are thrilled to be able to appoint Dr. Welt to this position. Jessica is a sensitive and mature clinician with the capacity to make others feel comforted and cared for under the most stressful circumstances,” said CGC Clinical Director Dr. Larry Rosenberg. “Her skills, breadth of knowledge, and genuine straightforward approach make her an ideal leader for a program whose purpose is to help children, families and other professionals through the crises they face. I have the utmost confidence in her abilities and know that the community will soon come to feel exactly the same.”

Prior to coming to CGC, Dr. Welt worked as a staff psychologist at Westchester Child and Adolescent Psychological Services in Purchase, NY, conducting clinical assessments and providing psychotherapy to youngsters with a wide range of mental health problems and families experiencing significant challenges. She has also worked as a staff psychologist in a variety of clinical settings and schools including the Manhattanville College Counseling Center, and in private practice. Dr. Welt graduated from Tufts University with a B.A. in Child Development and earned her doctoral degree from The Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. 

Staffed by psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers, APRN’s and care coordinators, the Child Guidance Center of Southern Connecticut is an outpatient mental health center for children and adolescents who experience psychological, behavioral, developmental, social or family problems. We are dedicated to reducing emotional suffering and dysfunctional behavior, strengthening families, and helping each child and adolescent achieve optimal potential. CGC’s clinical staff works with more than 2,000 children annually, providing culturally competent and sensitive care to families who are representative of the rich ethnic mix of communities we serve. Preventative services are provided to youngsters, parents, and professionals through community education and consultation programs. Incorporated in 1954, CGC is supported by the Connecticut Department of Children & Families, Connecticut Office of Victim Services, and United Way and Community Funds; and is the beneficiary of generous individual, foundation, and corporate contributions. www.childguidancect.org

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CONTACT:

Jeannine Egdorf

Child Guidance Center of Southern Connecticut, Inc.

Jeannine.Egdorf@childguidancect.org

(203) 517-3320