About Alisa
Alisa Dashefsky, Ed.M., LCSW
Alisa is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has worked for over fifteen years in community mental health and school settings as well as in private practice. She has a deep passion for helping to nurture and optimize the developmental growth and progress of children and families, and she strives to make a difference in children and families’ lives. Alisa specializes in working with infants, toddlers, preschool, and elementary school-aged children and their families who are struggling with anxiety, mood issues, trauma, developmental delays, and emotional and behavioral regulation challenges.
In her clinical practice and educational training, Alisa has focused on working with young children and their families in order to help foster resiliency and optimize children’s developmental growth and progress. Alisa’s extensive training and clinical experiences include having worked for nine years as part of a multidisciplinary Early Intervention Team and therapeutic school at a Community Mental Health Clinic where she conducted clinical and developmental assessments, play therapy, parent guidance, family therapy and consultations with preschools.
Alisa’s education includes a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Michigan and a Master’s Degree in Education from Harvard University specializing in Childhood Risk and Prevention (an interdisciplinary program in clinical and developmental psychology focusing on the impact of trauma on young children). Additionally, Alisa received her undergraduate training at Brandeis University where she focused her studies on developmental and clinical psychology.
In addition to her clinical training, Alisa also has substantial research and teaching experiences, including co-facilitating a parent education course, teaching in a preschool, conducting research projects and formal evaluations, and helping to create a curriculum to reduce prejudice and promote tolerance among children.
Furthermore, in order to enhance her clinical skills as a therapist working with children, Alisa has participated in numerous post-graduate trainings and seminars throughout the country focusing on various topics including play therapy, attachment issues, childhood trauma, resiliency, mood disorders, developmental delays and spectrum disorders, mindfulness, and sand tray therapy. At these professional conferences, Alisa has had the opportunity to acquire new skills and learn about new research findings in the fields to help guide her work in supporting and optimizing children’s developmental growth and progress.
Alisa is passionate about helping children grow, heal, and thrive. She specializes in supporting children and families through the healing process and is honored to join families along this journey.
Are you interested in working with Alisa? Contact her to schedule your consultation.
“Toys are children’s words and play is their language.”
GARY LANDRETH