Youth & Family Counseling Services of New Jersey - with a total of over 100 years of experience at the agency, enable the Youth and Family Counseling Service to provide excellent skills which help resolve problems and strengthen the individual and family. The staff consists of licensed New Jersey clinicians.
Our COUNSELORS
Carol M. Pedro, Executive Director, LPC
Kean University, MA, Counselor Education
Carol joined YFCS in 2007 and assumed the role of Executive Director in 2011. Carol has developed and implemented Parent, Children and Family Programs for East Orange General Hospital and other Private Community Mental Health Programs.
Specializations:
Counseling children, teens and adults who experience
Relationship issues, poor self-images,
Anxiety and depression.
Treatment in substance abuse and mental health.
LiSA DeVRIES, LPC, NCC, ACS
Rutgers University, M.Ed, Education, Kean University, MA, Counseling
Before coming to Youth & Family Counseling, Lisa was an educational counselor for at-risk youth. Her experience in teaching, school counseling, and college advising have proved to be useful tools when working with clients who have academic anxiety.
Lisa feels that exercise and laughter are important to mental and emotional health. She has designed and sold custom comic books and paper-mache sculptures. She uses a blend of Positive Psychology, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and other modalities, to assist clients in moving closer to their personal goals.
Lisa is an Approved Counselor Supervisor and offers supervision for students and interns who are working toward licensure. She has been with our group since 2013.
Specializations:
Academic Anxiety
Couples Counseling
Counseling Supervision
Andrew BLANCO, LCSW
Andrew has been working as a therapist for almost two decades now. He is also currently employed as a social worker for an elementary school child study team. His clinical experience is focused on family counseling, individual counseling for all ages and group therapy for specialty issues.
Experience: After graduating from New York University in 2008, he began honing his clinical skills while counseling adolescents at Orange High School of Orange, NJ. In 2015 he began working with Youth and Family Counseling Services of Westfield, NJ. In 2017, he began providing in-home counseling services through PerformCare. In 2019, he began work as a school social worker for Teaneck Community Charter School of Teaneck, NJ.
Fun Fact: Andrew is trained and certified to teach yoga and meditation.
Andrea Peyser, LCSW
Andrea is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She is a graduate of Hunter College School of Social Work and brings to Youth and Family Counseling Service an extensive career background in law. She is experienced in Family Therapy and works with children alone and conjointly with their parents. Andrea works with new parents, particularly mothers with post-partum depression and anxiety. She has run groups for adolescent girls, children with special learning issues, and youth at risk of becoming involved in delinquency. Andrea trained at the Bronx VA Hospital and counseled veterans on a range of issues including trauma, substance abuse, relationship violence and adjustment after service. Using a solution-focused approach, she provides both short-term solution-focused therapy and more intensive psychodynamic therapy. Andrea has been with our group since 2013.
Todd Loffredo, MA, LPC, LCADC
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Todd is a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LCADC). He held a private Practice from 2008 to the present servicing patients from depression and anxiety to any substance abuse disorder. As a group leader, Todd covers topics ranging from stressors and triggers that lead to relapse and tips that can avoid relapse. Todd has been with our Group since 2012
OFFICE STAFF
Diana SHOBACK, office Manager
Diana graduated from Moravian College with a B.A. in Buisness Management. She has been working in the medical field for the past 35 years and has been working at Youth and Family Counseling Service since 2011.
