Meet Otise!

Otise Schuk, LCSW

Otise has had a robust career in social services for over 20 years. She is a proud graduate of both Spelman College and University of Chicago’s School for Social Service Administration, where she received her Master’s in Social Work and Social Administration. In 2002, she was a recipient of the extremely selective Presidential Management Fellowship by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, where she honed her skills in socially supportive policy making and legislative analysis. Otise has worked with youth and adults since that time as a therapist and administrator. She has managed programs for a myriad of populations, including the homeless, severely and persistently mentally ill, and school-based counseling services. In addition to her private practice, Ms. Schuk is currently the Clinical Director at Paradigm Therapeutic Day School, an out of district private placement for high school students who’s clinical needs necessitate additional support.

Expertizes

Individual Therapy

Otise works with individuals to identify the areas where they would like to see growth, provide a space to process feelings, and identify strategies and skills that can aid growth.

Women’s Support Group

Now, more than ever, women need a safe space to process the challenges of life and find support from women who are in the same place. In this 4-6 week virtual support group, women are challenged to verbalize their fears and put techniques for self-regulating into practice. Whether used as a supplement to individual work or taken on its own, the women’s support group provides a space for women to grow and be affirmed.

Family/Marital Counseling

Addressing and resolving the root of conflict in a relationship can be complicated and difficult. Otise works with couples and families to develop healthy communication skills to better understand each other and develop tools that aid in resolving conflict within the family.

Consulting

Otise has provided training to schools and organizations on topics such as:

Understanding the Impact of Implicit Bias in the Classroom;

De-escalating Crisis from The Inside Out;

Avoiding Burnout for Educators and Mental Health Professionals, and more.

Additionally, Otise has consulted with schools across New York and New Jersey to help them refine the delivery of school based therapeutic services, re-imagine their disciplinary structures, understand generational trauma that students of communities of color bring to the classroom, develop new and thriving partnerships with the parents of their students, and more.