Virginia J. Zecchini

Virginia Zecchini (pronouns: she/ella/her/hers) is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who graduated from Columbia University with a Master of Science in Social Work and has almost 30 years of experience working in the mental health field with children and families. After receiving her Master’s degree, she went on to complete two years of advanced clinical training as a Social Work Fellow at the Yale Child Study Center. During her fellowship years she provided mental health services to children and families in various settings including an outpatient psychiatric clinic, a school -based health clinic, a community agency, and in families’ homes. In addition, she has worked with families in daycare centers and school classroom settings. Once the fellowship ended, she accepted a faculty position at the Child Study Center with the Intensive In-Home Children and Adolescent Psychiatric Services (IICAPS) program. The IICAPS program provides home-based mental health services to children and families who are at high risk for a psychiatric placement out of the home. The model works with the parents and child to strengthen their relationship and parents’ ability to mentalize their child. Over the years at the CSC she has worked with the Outpatient Psychiatric Clinic for Children as Coordinator, six years as Co-Chair of the Equity and Inclusion Committee and is an active member on the Social Work Fellowship Advisory Committee. As an Assistant Clinical Professor of Social Work and as Program Director of IICAPS Virginia provides supervision, training, model adherence and direct clinical care to children and families. Her interests include learning from her work with children and families struggling with psychiatric symptoms, trauma, and family dynamics impacting the family system in the home and community. She is a bilingual bicultural clinician who is motivated to learn from families of all backgrounds and to form a therapeutic relationship to support the families' changes.