MEET THE STAFF

Executive Director of Adolescent Services

Heather is the Executive Director of the Aspire program.  She is also responsible for providing administrative oversight for all the Turning Point facilities and ensuring that services are consistent with the organization’s mission.

Heather is a licensed psychotherapist and addiction professional with clinical and administrative experience in mental health and substance abuse programs. She has been in the public sector since 2003 and has wide-ranging experience with program development, quality improvement, licensure and grant procurement on the state, county and federal level.

Heather has a comprehensive understanding of psychiatric illness and practices for community behavioral health services, and a strong knowledge of the interplay between mental illness and the criminal justice system. She has extensive experience working with diverse groups of patients with biological and psychological addictions and proficiency in the coordination and planning of complex treatment interventions for co-occurring patients overcoming acute and chronic difficulties.

Heather holds an MBA (2022), a MA in Applied Clinical and Counseling Psychology (2004) and Certificate in Non-Profit Management (2017) from William Paterson University. She earned her BA in Psychology from Cornell University (2000).

Program Director of Adolescent Services

Kristina brings to Aspire nearly 17 years of experience in the field of addiction, specializing in adolescent treatment. She pursued chemical dependency studies at Kingsborough Community College and Clarion University. Kristina is a Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC) and holds a certificate in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). While Kristina’s heartfelt focus remains on adolescent treatment, her work experience expands across various treatment modalities, including inpatient, outpatient, and residential.

Primary Counselor

Charles Delgado joined the Aspire team in January, 2024 and holds a passion for working with adolescents and adults struggling with substance use and mental health disorders.

Charles holds an undergraduate degree in Psychology and Spanish, a Masters in Alcohol and drug Abuse Counseling and is currently pursuing is LCADC and is attending school to work towards his LPC.

When asked why he chose this field, he replies, “This type of work is very rewarding for me, especially when you are able to see positive progress with clients.”

When not attending classes or working, Charles enjoys spending time with his family and playing with his pets.

Special Education Teacher

Kathleen comes to Aspire with 39 years of experience in Education.  She has recently retired as a Director of Special Education from Sussex County Technical School, receiving her degree from Rutgers University.  She is a certified Special Education Teacher from Felician University, Regular Education Teacher from Glassboro State College, currently known as Rowan University, and a certified Learning Disability Teacher Consultant from William Paterson University.  

She brings a wealth of educational experience to Aspire.  Kathleen received the prestigious “Teacher of the Year Award” in 2000 from Pompton Lakes Public Schools. Her professional mantra is “all students can learn, not all in the same way”.  Kathleen believes that if students are given an educational environment that is supportive, enriching, is tailored to meet individual needs this will allow all students to experience academic success.

Care Manager/Transportation

Clifton, aka “Clif” brings to Aspire close to 20 years of experience working with children and adolescents for the Paterson Board of Education. Clif has worked as both a teacher managing class behavior and a student aide assisting students with their educational and social development. In 2018, Clif returned to school and transitioned to the addiction counseling field.  

Clif brings incredible energy to the program and our adolescents. He is experienced in partnering with youth to provide them with the resources they need to reach their personal goals. He supervises the recreational activities that help our adolescents develop social health and learn skills for enjoying sober activities. 

When Clif is not working with the adolescents at Aspire, he works as a Youth Assistant for Youth Consultation Services (YCS) in one of their therapeutic residences in Paterson. 

Clif holds a bachelor's degree from Shaw University and a master's degree in human services from Lincoln University. 

Office Administrator

Paola came to Aspire when we were quite busy and short staffed. She is always ready to help in any way. Paola is able to communicate well with not only the families at time of assessment, but her warm personality has been an asset in working with the adolescents as well. I watched Paola calm down an upset student that managed to find her way to Paola’s desk. This student went from feeling angered to laughing and being able to complete the day without struggle. Paola juggles speaking with schools, parents, and handles financial responsibilities daily. She is an asset to our team.

This past school year there were 3 students who graduated high school who would not have been able to without the work of the Aspire team. This gives me great fulfillment to know that we helped.