Jesselly De La Cruz

Jesselly De La Cruz, BA in Political Science (Rider University), MSW (Rutgers University), and DSW (Rutgers University), is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in NJ. She completed a Post-Graduate Certificate in Family Therapy at The Multicultural Family Institute, Inc. in Highland Park, NJ. Having originated from an underprivileged background and being a child of an immigrant family herself, Dr. De La Cruz’s education and work has been motivated by her desire to support traditionally underserved populations. Towards that overarching goal, she has worked with Latino advocacy nonprofit agencies. She currently serves as Executive Director for the Latino Action Network Foundation.

 

Her clinical experience includes providing emergency screening of persons in mental health crisis at an inner city hospital, outpatient and in-home child and family therapy, and clinical consultation for nursing homes with primarily Spanish-speaking residents. In addition, she has extensive experience working in the prevention of child sexual abuse by conducting forensic evaluations, individual, group and family therapy at an intensive outpatient program for court mandated youth who have sexually abused and/or have fire setting behaviors. Jesselly has also coordinated the psychological treatment of child sexual abuse survivors and their non-offending families in Hudson County, NJ. She currently serves as Clinical Director for sexual assault program in Bergen County. Dr. De La Cruz is Past President and a Lifetime Member of the Latino Mental Health Association of NJ and Clinical and Research Member of the NJ Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers. She is committed to dedicating her time to using her skills to help organizations that serve to support and empower Latino communities, BIPOC and LGBT youth, and families living below the federal poverty limit.