Staff

Lidia D. Abrams PhD, Executive Director

Resolve’s executive director and clinical supervisor is Dr. Lidia Abrams, PhD, licensed psychologist in New Jersey and New York, Diplomate of the Board of Rational Emotive/Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Fellow and Supervisor of the Albert Ellis Institute. Dr. Abrams has trained with the founder of rational-emotional behavioral psychology (REBT), Dr. Albert Ellis. She has co-authored articles and books on various topics in psychology. She has served on the board of New Jersey’s Association for Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) and continues to work on a committee to help improve family court processes in New Jersey. She is currently a member of the New Jersey Psychological Association’s Ethics committee. Dr. Abrams is Expert Witness for the Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCPP) and serves as forensic evaluator for Union County Family Court. She was honored as person of special Value by the Union County Mental Health Association.

Debra FerroLMFT, PhD, Director of Family Services

Dr. Debra Ferro is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in New Jersey and has been providing services at Resolve for 10 years. She is a former elementary education teacher, having taught at the kindergarten and fifth grade levels. Dr. Ferro holds graduate degrees in Human and Organizational Psychology and Marriage and Family Therapy. She has also completed her doctoral degree in General Psychology. For her doctoral dissertation research, she explored the relationships between parenting styles, adolescent identity styles, and social media usage and addiction in young adults.

Dr. Ferro is an adjunct psychology professor at Union County College, teaching Child and Adolescent Psychology, as well as Life Span Development. She has been nominated for the Dr. Richard F. and Barbara Neblett Prize for Educational Excellence in Teaching and Learning.

She has presented to various audiences on adolescent stress and anxiety, stress management in the workplace and has been a guest lecturer on Emotionally Focused Therapy at Kean University. In addition, she has facilitated groups for children of divorce, social skills in middle school and parenting skills for children with special needs.

At Resolve Dr. Ferro carries a large caseload of individuals, families, and children/adolescents and is certified in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). She also conducts custody and best interest evaluations, as well as visitation risk assessments and provides court testimony as necessary. In addition Dr. Ferro supervises a large number of interns and professionals working towards their license at Resolve.

Clinical Staff

  • Dominique Outlaw-Howell

    PsyD – permitted psychologist

  • Mary Ann Hill

    LPC – Licensed professional counselor

  • Lauren Picerni

    LPC – Licensed professional counselor

  • Richard Schilare

    LCSW – Licensed clinical social worker

  • Michael Taub

    LPC, LCADC – Licensed professional counselor and addictions counselor

  • Jonna Berman

    LAC – Licensed associate counselor

  • Sophia Cardoso

    LAC – Licensed associate counselor

  • Yohselyn Daniel Burns

    LAC – Licensed Associate Counselor

  • Kate Gullo

    LAC – Licensed associate counselor

  • Jennifer Hernandez

    LAMFT – Licensed associate marriage and family therapist

  • Laura Sevilla

    LAC – Licensed Associate Counselor

  • Sasha Ortiz

    LAC – Licensed Associate Counselor

  • Diane Wallace

    MA - counselor

  • Jawann Westerman

    MA- counselor

  • Bracha Schechter

    LAMFT – Licensed associate marriage and family counselor

  • Stephie Degand

    LAC – Licensed associate counselor

  • Aileen Hernandez

    MA

  • Megan Malandro

    LAC – Licensed associate counselor

  • Veronica Julien

    MA

  • Allison Rossi

    MA

  • Katelyn Wells

    LAMFT

  • Lily Manzo

    LAC – Licensed associate counselor

  • Alex Craig Mann

    LPC, ABD

Interns

Resolve serves as internship site for several colleges and universities including Kean, Seton Hall, Rutgers, Montclair University, William Patterson, Fairleigh Dickinson, NYU, Chestnut Hill College and Capella. We provide internship opportunities for students in masters’ of counseling programs and doctoral programs in psychology. Our excellent reputation allows us to choose the most promising interns, who most often are hired to continue on at Resolve as counselors.