Joanne Guarino Klages' Resume
Core Faculty, Multicultural Family Institute
A social worker and graduate of the institute she has worked in a variety of settings including the New York City school system for over 25 years. She is a speaker and trainer on topics such as bridging cultural differences bullying in the context of bias, discrimination and power, developing an anti- bias peer education program for adolescents and systemic assessment for school guidance personnel. In private practice in Highland Park New Jersey and Staten Island New York, she has a special interest in working with families dealing with the challenges of heterosexism and traditional gender scripts.
Qualifications:
- Clinical Social Worker L.C.S.W.-New York
- Licensed Clinical Social Worker-New Jersey
- NASW-NJ Registered Clinical Supervisor
- National Association of Social Workers
- New York City Chapter of NASW
- American Family Therapy Academy
Education:
- Fordham University, New York, NY Masters Degree in Social Work: 1978
- Brooklyn College (CUNY), Brooklyn, NY Bachelor of Arts: Sociology 1974
Post Graduate Training:
- Multi-Cultural Family Institute (formerly The Family Institute of New Jersey) — Highland Park, New Jersey — Post-graduate Certificate in Family Therapy September 1996-June 1999
- Institute Of Family Service Challenge Program-Domestic Violence Training — Somerset, New Jersey September 1999-February 2000
Work History
Private Practice
- Main Street Counseling 1989 to present
Staten Island, New York
- Private Practice Family and Couples Therapy
- Multi-Cultural Family Institute
September 1999 to present
Highland Park, New Jersey
- Private Practice Family and Couples Therapy
- Workshop Presenter on Couples and Families
- New York City Department of Education January 1985 to Present
Basis Superintendency
ERSS Educationally related support service which included
- Team member of the school based support team
- Crisis Response Team Member
- Individual, group and family therapy
- Parent Seminars on Adolescents
- Bereavement counseling on an individual and group basis.
- Supervision of students from the College of Staten Island and Montclair State
- Conflict Resolution Specialist.
- Peer Education Coordinator for Conflict Resolution/ Anti – Bias Program
- May 1997 Developed and coordinated the Borough Wide Bias Reduction Diversity Awareness Program and trained those presenting the program to Staten Island Intermediate and High School students.
- Spring 1999 Trained teachers on the Anti-Defamation League’s Anti-Bias curriculum which was to be introduced into regular classroom curriculum.
- Norwegian Christian Home March 1981 to January 1985
- Social Work Consultant
- Responsible for the development of the social work program and supervision of the social work staff.
- Department head and administrative liaison
- Golden Gate Health Care Center
- Director of Social Work April 1979 to January 1985
- Staff Social Worker December 1975 to April 1979
- Individual, group and family therapy.
- Supervision of Social Work staff.
- In-Service trainer.
Workshops and Seminars Presented
- November 2004 Understanding Learning Disabilities - presented to Mental Health Providers
- May 2004 Working with Gay and Lesbian people and their families presented at 13th Annual Culture Conference
- October 2003 Genograms in family practice -presented to Mental Health Providers
- March 2002 Bereavement across cultures – presented to Middlesex County crisis teams
- February 2002 Working with Immigrant Families- Presented to Mental Health Providers
- December 2001 Couples -Presented to Multi-Cultural Family Institute Trainees and others
- September 2001 Motherhood-presented to Multi-Cultural Family Institute Trainees and
- May 2001 The Effects of Culture on Families- Presented to Mental Health Providers of Monmouth County.
- Fall 1999 Family Systems Assessment in a School Setting- Presented to Guidance Personnel Old Bridge school District.
- Spring 1999 Helping Families with the coming out process-Presented to MFI Trainees.
- Fall 1996 - Spring 1999 Resolving conflict with family members and peers-Ongoing Class for High School students
- Fall 1995 - Spring 1999 Adolescents in Families – An ongoing seminar for parents of Adolescents.
- Summer 1996 - Fall 1999 Diversity in the Classroom- Training delivered to:
- Ocean County School District, Ocean County New Jersey
- Mahwah School District, Mahwah, New Jersey
- BOCES School District Long Island New York
- Clifton New Jersey
- Spring 1993 - Spring 1995 Understanding Learning Disabilities – Workshop presented in various venues to Parents, Teachers, Supervisors and SBST personnel.
- 1981-1984 The Trauma of Admission-Helping Families Cope-in-service seminar nursing and Medical Staff Golden Gate Health Care Center.
Publications
- The Hidden Dimensions of sibling Loss. In F.Walsh & M.McGoldrick (Eds.). Living Beyond loss: Death and the Family (2nd Edition) NY W. W. Norton
- McGoldrick, M, Giordano, J & Klages, J ( 2005). Italian Families. In M. McGoldrick, N. Garcia-Preto & J. Giordano (Eds). Ethnicity and Family Therapy ( 3rd Edition). NY Guilford Press
Curriculum
- Wrote and implemented curriculum for Integrated Settings Class “Critical Issues.”
- Wrote Conflict Resolution Curriculum for BASIS Summer Bridge Program. Trained teachers who were to implement this curriculum.