Marcela Torres-Noguera, LCSW

ABOUT ME

I am an experienced bilingual (Spanish-English) clinical social worker with over 15 years of experience working with families and children from diverse ethnic and social backgrounds working through different life transitions. I was born and raised in Colombia, South America. I graduated with a BA in Psychology from Universidad de los Andes (Los Andes University) and I fell in love with clinical work. In 2002, I moved to the US to pursue my masters degree in social work from the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College and I have been living in NYC ever since.  

Since graduating with my Masters in Social Work, I have worked in varied settings, including outpatient mental health, hospitals, and child welfare programs at non-profit agencies. I also have experience supervising other clinicians, leading family team conferences, and as a clinical coordinator of an innovative program called The Court Team for Babies which was the first program of its kind in Manhattan and it helped babies and mothers reconnecting and strengthening their bond with one another, while separated.

Before becoming a licensed social worker, I spent a few years working as a Preventive Services case planner, providing home-based services to families from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds by providing them with family and individual counseling services, as well as case management to help them navigating different systems (e.g. health, education, courts).

I also specialized in the treatment of compulsive buying disorder. I have more than 10 years of experience working with individuals and facilitating in person and telecoaching groups for people struggling with compulsive shopping behaviors, locally and internationally. Early in my career, I was also part of Project Liberty which offered mental health screenings, outreach services, and resources for New Yorkers after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

For the past few years, I have been an adjunct professor at the Social Welfare Program at Stony Brook University teaching masters level classes. I also teach continuing education classes for Social Welfare Program at Stony Brook University and for the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College.  

In my spare time, I enjoy spinning and pilates. I love watching movies and documentaries. I love music, dancing, and concerts bring me the greatest joy. I enjoy exploring different cultural activities and I love exploring different types of food. I enjoy traveling.

I deeply value family and friends.  I have an amazing daughter that has taught me so much about life, love and the parenting journey.

In my free time I also teach Zumbini which is an early childhood movement and music class for little ones and their caregivers. Zumbini has allowed me to combine my love for music and dance with my passion to support other families to bond and connect through the joy of music and also create a sense of community in NYC. 

MY APPROACH

My clinical approach to working with children and families is based on empowerment and relational approaches, and cultural considerations, where therapy is a collaborative process and one in which the client is considered an expert in their own life.

I believe that clients’ beliefs, needs and life experiences shape and guide the therapeutic goals. I see that my role as a therapist is to facilitate a process of personal discovery and growth through meaningful therapeutic conversations that can enrich one’s life story.

I was trained at the Ackerman Institute for the Family in New York, and I feel that the family systems approach resonates with me and deeply influences my therapeutic style. Nevertheless, I believe that other approaches offer extremely valuable tools that I use in my day-to-day practice as well. I have been trained in evidence-based approaches like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Child Parent Psychotherapy and Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.  

HOW I GOT HERE

My approach has also been influenced by several key life experiences that have shaped my outlook and approach to therapy.

I grew up with a loving family that valued respect, education and honesty. But no family is perfect.  A few of my family members struggled with mental and physical illness. This led to profound losses that influenced our family.  Early on, I was exposed to the ups and downs, stigma, shame, and losses that families face when loved ones are suffering physically or psychologically. Yet I also recognized important learning opportunities. My belief is that if my loved ones had had better supports they would have done better. As a result, I decided in high school to pursue a career in the mental health field and I decided to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Psychology.

My immigration experience has also played a central role in shaping my life experiences, and I feel passionately about supporting others in this process. As a immigrant in New York City, I went through profound transitions and changes as I started building a future and calling a new place, my home while still having strong ties to my culture and my place of origin. Establishing long-lasting relationships, forming my own family, becoming a mother, and developing professionally as an immigrant have definitely been, some of the most transformative experiences for me.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

• Families and children

• Couples

• Compulsive Buying

• Parenting support

• Dyadic therapy (baby-caregiver)

• Group therapy

• Mental health

• Bereavement

• Immigration

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

• Outpatient mental health

• Hospital/emergency room

• Child welfare

SKILLS AND ADDITIONAL TRAINING

• Ackerman Institute for the Family

  • Family Systems model training

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

• Child Parent Psychotherapy

• Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

• Parenting Journey Facilitator

LANGUAGES

• English

• Spanish