Virginia J. Zecchini, BA, MSc, LCSW

Virginia J Zecchini (she/ella/her/hers) is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with nearly 30 years of experience serving children and families in the mental health field. She brings a rich personal and professional background shaped by her bicultural Peruvian‑American heritage and a lifelong commitment to learning from diverse communities.

Before pursuing graduate studies, Virginia earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Connecticut in Storrs. She later spent five years living in California, broadening her exposure to different cultures and community systems. During her time as a graduate student at Columbia University, she supported herself by working in New York City—an experience that deepened her understanding of the city’s families, neighborhoods, and the resilience of the communities she would go on to serve. Prior to attending Columbia, she also worked with children and caregivers in daycare and classroom settings, laying the foundation for her long-standing dedication to child and family mental health.

Virginia completed her Master of Science in Social Work at Columbia University and went on to receive two years of advanced clinical training as a Social Work Fellow at the Yale Child Study Center. During her fellowship, she provided mental health services across a range of settings, including an outpatient psychiatric clinic, a school‑based health center, a community agency, and families’ homes.

After her fellowship, she joined the Yale Child Study Center faculty as part of the Intensive In‑Home Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Services (IICAPS) program, which delivers home‑based treatment to children and families at high risk for psychiatric out‑of‑home placement. The IICAPS model focuses on strengthening parent–child relationships and enhancing parents’ capacity to mentalize their child’s experiences.

Throughout her tenure at the Child Study Center, Virginia has held multiple leadership and clinical roles, including Coordinator of the Outpatient Psychiatric Clinic for Children, six years as Co‑Chair of the Clinical Excellence Committee, and active membership on the Social Work Fellowship Faculty Committee. As an Assistant Clinical Professor of Social Work and Program Director of IICAPS, she provides supervision, training, model adherence, and direct clinical care.

Her work is guided by a deep interest in trauma, attachment, mentalization, and the family dynamics that shape how children and caregivers experience and respond to psychiatric symptoms at home and in the broader community. As a bilingual and bicultural clinician, Virginia is deeply committed to learning from families of all backgrounds and building strong therapeutic relationships that support meaningful and lasting change.