James Genova, LCSW - SFCS
James Genova, LCSW

James "Jay" Genova, LCSW

Jay has been affiliated with SFCS for the better part of twenty years and has served as the agency’s Executive Director since July 2014. Since assuming the position of Director, Jay raised the public profile of the agency; reorganized and expanded the family counseling program, restructured the delivery of services to seniors, initiated group services for children and helped to re-vitalize both the Scarsdale Drug and Alcohol Task Force and what is now the Safe Coalition.  

During his  tenure, Jay managed an expansion, re-design and renovation of the agency offices and, along with the Board of Directors, restored the agency’s financial stability.  Although Jay’s role at SFCS is primarily administrative, clinical work, teaching and helping develop mental health professionals remains his passion.  While Jay maintains a small client caseload at SFCS, he provides clinical supervision for agency staff and he has mentored both youth and clinical interns.    

Jay began his career in social service in 1992 at St. Vincent’s Hospital Westchester where he provided clinical services to adults and teens. He was trained in Marcia Linehan’s model of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and soon thereafter was teaching the skills training component for patients deeply affected by trauma on the inpatient and partial hospital service.  

Understanding the importance of early intervention and prevention services, Jay shifted his focus to working with adolescents. He joined the SFCS staff in 2000 as a Youth Outreach Worker working with middle and high school age youth and families. By 2003, he was named Project Team Leader and expanded the agency’s parent support group program that today, provides services to over 600 parents of high school and middle school parents. Jay credits this position with teaching him the value of community based social work and the impact the social environment has upon adolescent development.  
 
In 2005, Jay departed SFCS to become the Director of the then newly formed Eastchester Communities That Care, a community based adolescent alcohol and drug prevention coalition. His work was instrumental in reducing teen substance abuse rates locally and his writings and advocacy served as the catalyst for legislative initiatives that ultimately led to the ban of caffeinated high-alcohol content beverages. In April 2012, he provided expert testimony to the New York State Senate’s Substance Abuse Prevention Committee on the subject on high alcohol content beverages and the marketing of such products to youth.  

In 2012, Jay returned to SFCS as the Director of Community Services where he resumed his clinical and administrative work until he was named Executive Director. Jay actively participated in local initiatives that ultimately led to Tobacco 21 Legislation being passed in Westchester County and in opposing the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes in New York State.  

Jay is a 1992 graduate of Iona College. He went on to receive his Master’s degree in Social Work from Hunter College in 1999. He pursued advanced family therapy training from the Minuchin Center for the Family and the Family Institute of Westchester. In 2003, Jay earned a post master’s certificate in administration from New York Medical College and Fordham University. Jay specializes in treating “hard to reach adolescents” and those affected by trauma. He served as a guest lecturer for Iona College's Macro Social Work practice class and is active in local youth sports initiatives. He resides in Westchester with his wife and three children.

Accreditation / Education

LCSW: Licensed Clinical Social Worker; Post Masters Certificate Administration; New York State School Social Worker

Specialties

Individual, Couple and Family Counseling, Substance Abuse Prevention, "hard to reach adolescents", those affected by trauma.  Not for profit management.
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