Danyell Samassa

Accomplished professional with 29 years of experience in social services, public health, and social work. Proven track record in delivering high-quality therapeutic services and empowering individuals through knowledge transfer. Recognized for adaptability, proactive leadership, and commitment to continuous professional development. Expertise in quickly acquiring and applying new skills to enhance service delivery and navigate change effectively.

Throughout my 29-year career in the fields of social services, public and environmental health, social sciences, and social work, I have consistently demonstrated my commitment to providing high-quality direction and therapeutic services. I have imparted my knowledge and skills to consumers, staff, personnel, and students alike, always seeking to empower others and enhance their professional development. My adaptability, proactivity, and exemplary leadership have earned me the recognition of colleagues and superiors alike. I take great pride in my work and am dedicated to continuously improving and growing as a professional in order to better serve those in need., Drexel University, Lecturer, Gender Responsive Strategies and Smart Decarceration for justice-involved pregnant and parenting women, and The Talitha Cumi Project, Philadelphia (virtual), 10/01/23, Thomas Jefferson University, Lecturer, Gender Responsive Strategies and Smart Decarceration for justice-involved pregnant and parenting women, and The Talitha Cumi Project, Philadelphia (virtual), 11/01/23, Temple University, Lecturer, Gender Responsive Strategies and Smart Decarceration for justice-involved pregnant and parenting women, and The Talitha Cumi Project, Philadelphia (virtual), 11/01/23, PHMC: FIR Program, Lecturer, Gender Responsive Strategies and Smart Decarceration for justice-involved pregnant and parenting women, and The Talitha Cumi Project, Philadelphia (virtual), 09/01/23, Jewish Community Services, Lecturer, Gender Responsive Strategies and Smart Decarceration for justice-involved pregnant and parenting women, and The Talitha Cumi Project, Baltimore (virtual), 08/01/23, Health Equity Conference, Panelist, Health Equity and Covid-19 Pandemic, Philadelphia, 11/01/21, East Tennessee State University, Lecturer, Gender Responsive Approaches in Correctional Settings for Pregnant and Parenting Women, Sevierville, TN, 02/01/21, Pennsylvania Prison Society, Planning Committee Member and Presenter, Public Health Seminars, Riverside Correctional Facility, 02/01/14 - 05/01/14, 11/01/16 - 04/01/17, Mayor of Philadelphia’s Annual Interfaith Services & Civic Engagement Visit to the Philadelphia Prison System, Speaker, Motivational, Presentation at Riverside Correctional Facility, 01/01/14, The National Association of Women Judges, Planning Committee Member and Presenter, Success In & Out Conference at Riverside Correctional Facility, 06/01/11, 06/01/13, Philadelphia Fight-Prison Health Care and Re-entry Summit, Panelist and/or Presenter, Pregnancy and Parenting in a Correctional Facility, 06/01/08, 06/01/09, 06/01/10, 06/01/11, 06/01/12, 06/01/13, 06/01/14, 06/01/15, 06/01/16, Temple University, School of Social Work, MSW Program, Assistant Adjunct Professor, Spring Semester 2024, 2025, Teach MSW and manage external and internal classroom experiences and student needs., Communicate course content and expectations to students, follow course outline and syllabus., Provide students with timely feedback and grades, and available office hours., Utilize virtual formats effectively., Provide teaching and learning techniques to create an inclusive class experience., Resources for Human Development (rhd), Philadelphia, PA, Assistant Director/Therapist, Family House Norristown, 12/01/14 - 01/01/16, Assist in overall program development and implementation., Assist in the management of daily operations of the program of up to 9 women with up to 18 children., Recruit and hire/contact staff as needed by licensing/regulatory requirements., Maintain policy and procedure manual by RHD funding and regulatory requirements., Assist with program budgeting and billing., Act as a liaison as needed to government regulatory bodies., Provide agency and program presentation training., Provide crisis intervention., Provide supervision of all clinical staff., Provide clinical therapy individually and in group., Acting Director when Unit Director was off-site., Maternity Care Coalition (MCC), Philadelphia, PA, MOMobile Site Coordinator, Riverside Correctional Facility, 09/01/06 - 08/01/13, Developed curriculum for start-up program for one-of-a-kind, full time, institutional based program., Managed on-site program administration, including case management, data collection, reports to funders and contractors, and community resource development., Created, established, and facilitated pre/post-natal support groups and educational peer groups., Monitored data collection, reporting, and caseload assignments., Recruited, trained, and provided clinical supervision and evaluation of three case managers and interns., Fostered ongoing relationships and closely collaborated with diverse community-based service providers to resolve issues concerning health insurance, crisis intervention, housing, immunizations, returning to work and school, emergency food/formula, alcohol and drug treatment, and family planning., Budgeted and managed daily operational expenses., The Philadelphia Mental Health Corporation (PMHCC), Philadelphia, PA, Clinical Manager, Maximizing Participation Project, 01/01/05 - 07/01/06, Interviewed, supervised, and evaluated a clinical team of eight case managers providing community and home-based resources/referral support., Oriented new staff members., Managed year-to-year funded program for the improvement of services and recovery opportunities for people challenged by prolonged mental illness, drug, and alcohol addiction, and other barriers to self-sufficiency., US Medical Staffing, Philadelphia, PA, Clinical Consultant at PMHC, 09/01/24 - Present, Interview client upon admission for outpatient treatment, understanding individual needs and preferences., Responsible for all development/writing comprehensive biopsychosocial in compliance with standards and regulations, including psychiatric diagnosis., Utilize clinical Assessment tool PHQ-9/GAD-7/PTSD/Trauma/CSSRS/Summary Skills Experience Suicide Assessment., Provide linkage to psychiatric services as needed., Maintain client charts as required., Responsible for completion of all chart management updates, and quality assurance tasks to comply with all regulatory requirements, program policies and procedures, and billing standards., Elwyn (Formally known as Fellowship Health Resources), Phoenixville, PA, Outpatient MH Therapist (PT), 11/01/23 - 06/01/24, Provide individual counseling services to men/women with persistent to severe mental health diagnoses at the outpatient program., Conduct assessments and treatment plans, intakes as needed., Complete documentation in adherence to State and Local Licensing laws, as well as policy requirements regarding the format of documentation., Provide feedback to the team in creating program enhancement ideas., The Behavioral Wellness Center at Girard, Philadelphia, PA, Counselor III, 08/01/20 - 03/01/21, Provide individual/group counseling services to men/women with co-occurring disorders at intensive outpatient/outpatient non-methadone maintenance program., Conduct assessments and treatment plans as needed., Complete documentation in adherence to State and Local Licensing laws, well as policy requirements regarding the format of documentation., Provide feedback to the team in creating program enhancement ideas., US Medical Staffing, Philadelphia, PA, Primary Therapist (master’s level) at Kirkbride Center, 06/01/17 - 09/01/18, US Medical Staffing, Philadelphia, PA, Counselor at NET Steps 2, 10/01/18 - 12/01/18, US Medical Staffing, Philadelphia, PA, Counselor III at The Behavioral Wellness Center at Girard, 02/01/19 - 08/01/20, Pennsylvania Prison Society- Parenting Program, Philadelphia, PA, Parenting Instructor, 04/01/16 - 05/01/17, Create, implement, and facilitate a 6-week, 12-session parenting program at Riverside Correctional Facility in Philadelphia., Provide advocacy for parenting women at Riverside Correctional Facility., The Philadelphia Department of Public Health-Covid Containment Unit, Philadelphia, PA, Pediatric Training Coordinator, 12/01/22 - 06/01/24, Work within the Pediatric Partnerships team to support the COVID unit’s outreach education plan and strategies through both internal and external training., Identify training needs within the Division of COVID-19 Containment and work to bring experts to deliver virtual training to staff as it relates to pediatric testing, vaccinations, and mitigation strategy adherence., Develop and maintain relationships with K-12 Schools and Early Childhood Education Centers., Develop and deliver training on COVID-19 containment strategies to pediatric-focused community-based organizations, schools, parents, and the public., Identify effective channels of communication for reaching targeted audiences, including identification of non-mainstream methods to promote important preparedness and emergency response information to at-risk or socially isolated populations., Support sector teams within Pediatric Partnerships with in-person events coordination, test distribution, and other logistical and leadership support as needed., Other duties as assigned., The Philadelphia Department of Public Health-Covid Containment Unit, Philadelphia, PA, Pediatric Special Projects Specialist, 08/01/21 - 12/01/22, Provide foundational research, planning, and development support for new projects and partnerships to advance the efficacy of the pediatric partnership program., Support hiring, onboarding, and training initiatives by screening applicants on a rolling basis and developing or revising team onboarding and training materials as needed., For cases related to the team-related education sector, obtain and document case investigation details, including clinical presentation, laboratory results, underlying conditions, exposure sources, risk factors, and the potential for transmission for each suspected case., Identify close contacts including classmates, teachers, school admins, and others who might have been exposed to the disease by communicating with school/facility administrators as needed and reviewing other databases., Guide COVID-19 guidance to the assigned school sector by communicating with school nurses, admin, or any other POC of the site., The Philadelphia Department of Public Health-Covid Containment Unit, Philadelphia, PA, Covid Response Specialist, 04/01/21 - 08/01/21, For cases related to early childhood, primary, and secondary education settings, obtain and document case investigation details, including clinical presentation, laboratory results, underlying conditions, exposure sources, risk factors, and the potential for transmission for each suspected case., Identify close contacts including household members, classmates, and others who might have been exposed to the disease by communicating with parents/family members and school/facility administrators as needed., Guide COVID-19 control measures to cases and their contacts, including guidance to schools and early childhood facilities where contact exposures have occurred., Participated in outbreak investigation in early childhood, primary, and secondary education settings, cooperating with other team members as well as administrators and parents as needed., Participate in regular school and ECE team meetings and training such as weekly case reviews, communicable disease manual training, and others as deemed necessary., Participated in coalition with stakeholders throughout the State of Pennsylvania and State Senator Daylin Leach to gain successful passage of the Anti-Shackling Bill, Healthy Birth for Incarcerated Women, SB1074/ Act 45., 06/01/10, Presented testimony to the PA House Child and Youth Committee., 2007, Designed and authored the prison-based Doula (birthing coach) initiative as a part of the MOMobile at RCF., Author of Prison Board of Trustees, 2013 Grant Proposal: received $130,000 funding for FY-2014., Co-Author of Prison Board of Trustees, 2007 Grant Proposal; received $100,000 funding for FY-2008., In conjunction with the MCC-Deputy Executive Director in The Connect Project, an extensive training designed to help Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grantees in the enhancement of relations with Congressional representatives and other policymakers., As sole participator from MCC completed a training project underwritten by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: A Practical Approach to Internal Evaluation using quantitative and qualitative analysis., Division of Disease Control, Covid Containment Unit (Pediatric Partnership Team), Brown Bag Series-Employment Improvement Workshops., 2022 - Present, RHD-Hub B, Cultural Competency Training., 2015, Conducted New Staff Training for MCC: Substance Abuse and Pregnancy., 2007-2012, Labor and Delivery, 2007-2009, National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women, Board of Directors, 2014-2018, National Task Force on the Use of Restraints on Pregnant Women in Correctional Facilities in the United States, 2011-2014, International Instructor of the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program, 2014-Present, Pennsylvania State Committee Member, HR 203 Children of Incarcerated Parents Project (Joint State Government Commission), 2012, Women’s Medical Fund, Board of Directors, 2010-2012, Pennsylvania Prison Society, Working Group Committee Member, 2007-Present, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., 1993-Present, University of Southern California, Doctor of Social Work, 2023, University of the Sciences, Master of Science in Health Policy, 2019, Saint Joseph’s University, Master of Science in Criminal Justice, 2004, Pennsylvania State University, Bachelor of Science in Administration of Justice, 1995