Virginia J. Zecchini, BA, MSc, LCSW
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Assistant Clinical Professor (Social Work) in the Child Study Center
Biography
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.
Appointments
Child Study Center
Assistant Clinical Professor (Social Work)Primary
Other Departments & Organizations
- Advanced Clinical Social Work Fellowship
- Child Study Center
- Intensive In-Home Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Services
- Yale Medicine
Education & Training
- MSc
- Columbia University, Social Work
- BA
- University of Connecticut, Psychology
- AA
- Orange County Community College, Liberal Arts
Clinical Care
Overview
Virginia J. Zecchini, MSc, LCSW, is a bilingual, bicultural specialist in pediatric developmental and behavioral child and adolescent psychiatry who focuses on supporting children and families experiencing emotional or behavioral challenges. She works with young people facing psychiatric symptoms, trauma, or challenges in family and community relationships, offering care that aims to strengthen family bonds and improve daily functioning at home and in the community.
Zecchini’s approach is family-focused, trauma-informed, attachment and mentalization-based to child, parent, and family psychotherapy. Zecchini works closely with both children and their parents to address issues that affect the entire family system, including supporting parents to better understand and support their children’s needs. As well as supporting the youth and their relationship with their family members and peers in the home, school, and community.
As assistant clinical professor of social work at Yale School of Medicine, she provides supervision, training, model guidance, and direct support through programs focused on intensive, in-home care. Her interests include understanding how family dynamics and trauma impact the mental health of children and adolescents and using these insights to guide family-centered care.
Zecchini says her passion for youth work began in her formative years as a Latina facing discrimination in school. “Early encounters with bias led me to explore my own emotions and develop a deep empathy for others. I recognized that everyone carries a unique story,” she says. “I came to see how personal history shapes our identities and relationships.”
She says her commitment to youth work is not just a career choice, but a "heartfelt mission driven by the belief that understanding our experiences is key to nurturing meaningful connections for the future.”
Zecchini is dedicated to empowering youth, believing that understanding our past is key to building resilience and fostering meaningful connections.
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In-Home Services
350 George St
New Haven, CT 06511
United States
Locations
350 George Street
Academic Office
New Haven, CT 06511
Patient Care Locations
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