Leadership Team

  • Cesar Vasquez, LCSW-R

    Brown Team Captain

    Senior Supervising Social Worker

  • Dr. Melanie Styles

    Red Team Captain

    Director of Quality Measures and Outcomes

  • Lissette Stapleton, LMSW

    Yellow Team Captain

    Evening On-Site Supervisor

  • Monica D'Agostino, LCSW-R

    White Team Captain

  • Sharon Kennan, LCSW

    Purple Team Captain

    Director of Training and Outreach

  • Gabriela Melillo, LCSW

    Bravo Team Captain

  • Sherman Stovall Jr, LCSW-R, MA, CEAP, Q-SAP, C-DER, EAS-C

    Black Team Captain

  • Carla Natale, LCSW

    Blue Team Captain

  • Lisa Phillips, LCSW, CASAC

    Alpha Team Captain

    On-Site Supervisor

  • Tamika Hardwick, LCSW, LMSW

    Echo Team Captain

  • Nicola Most, LMHC

    Omega Team Captain

Dr. Melanie Styles, Director of Quality Measures and Outcomes

Dr. Melanie Styles is the Director of Quality Improvement for The Companies at Legacy, Inc.

She is a Supervising Clinician with Legacy Behavioral Health and is captain of the “Red Team”.

A native of Albany, NY, Dr. Styles’ education includes; her Associates Degree in Human Services, Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts, and in 2002 she received her Master’s Degree with honors in Community Counseling.  Dr. Styles continued her education and in 2006 garnered her License as a Mental Health Counselor in the State of New York. While working in the community- counseling field, she pursued and graduated in 2016 with a high honor’s Doctorate Degree in Educational Psychology with a concentration in Pastoral Counseling. Dr. Styles works in affiliation with multiple religious and community boards as their counseling consultant and therapist.

Dr. Styles has worked in the Human Service field in multiple facets for the past two decades as; Case Coordinator, Case Manager, Foster-care Director and most recently as Senior Therapist for her own business, Step by Step Counseling.  Dr. Styles has passionately proven to foster hope and support to many individuals and families who have endured traumatic and difficult life experiences. Counseling continues to be one of Dr. Styles greatest joys in seeing people effectively develop inner hope and survival techniques to cope with life’s issues.

Dr. Style uses a range of therapeutic modalities including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy, Grief and Loss, Trauma Therapy, Crisis Intervention and Mindfulness.

Her specialties include: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, psycho-educational anxiety, gender identity, child abuse, anger management, mood disorders, marriage and family interventions, crisis intervention, depression, anxiety, stress management and faith -based therapy.

A message from Dr. Mel…

“Every step out of the past is a step into your future.”

 

Monica D'Agostino, LCSW-R

Monica is a Supervising Clinician with Legacy Behavioral Health and is captain of the “White Team”.

Monica is a New York State Licensed Clinical Social Worker with the "R" psychotherapy privilege, licensed to provide diagnoses and psychotherapy to individuals experiencing behavioral health concerns. She has been a provider of behavioral health services for over 16 years. After spending 10 years in public service, and only 1 year as a Supervisor at Legacy, Monica joined The Companies at Legacy, Inc full time in November of 2021 while bringing her diversified and exceptional clinical expertise to The Companies at Legacy, Inc.

Monica is originally from Western, NY and moved to the Capital Region in 2002. She received a Bachelor's degree in Social Work from Keuka College in 2002. She holds a Masters in Social Work from the University at Albany, 2005. Earlier in her career, Monica worked as a Care Manager for a not for profit agency in Saratoga County. There, she worked with adults experiencing severe mental illness. After graduate school, Monica worked at a Continuing Day Treatment Program for Adults suffering from addiction and mental illness. There, she provided individual and group therapy and in 2011 was promoted to Clinical Supervisor and assisted with the transition from a day treatment program to a PROS (Personalized Recovery Oriented Services) Program.

Since her time spent at PROS, Monica transitioned to working as a Supervising Social Worker for an outpatient community mental health clinic where she provided individual and family psychotherapy to children, adolescents and young adults.

Monica's passion is working with children. Her areas of expertise include treating individuals with mood disorders, depression, anxiety, school stress, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. She practices with an eclectic range of treatment modalities by using a client centered approach. Her most favored clinical techniques include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, play therapy, solution focused and mindfulness approaches. She believes that the most important aspect in therapy is developing a positive and trusting relationship between client and therapist. 

Cesar E. Vasquez, Senior Supervising Social Worker

Cesar (LCSW-R) is the Senior Supervising Social Worker for The Companies at Legacy, Inc.

He is a Supervising Clinician with Legacy Behavioral Health and is captain of the “Brown Team”.

Cesar is a New York State Licensed Clinical Social Worker with the "R" psychotherapy privilege, licensed to provide diagnoses and psychotherapy to individuals experiencing behavioral health concerns. He has been a provider of behavioral health services for 14 years.

Cesar received his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the State University of New York at New Paltz. He completed his Masters degree in Social Work from the School of Social Welfare at the University at Albany, SUNY.

He is a bilingual (Spanish) Social Worker with nearly two decades of experience in the mental health field.  He spent 11 years working for OMH (Office Mental Health) at the premier psychiatric institute in New York State, the Capital District Psychiatric Center (CDPC). While there, he also worked for the New York State Crisis Intervention Unit as a Social Worker Supervisor for New York State.

Cesar adds to his experience with his time spent with OMH, working for the Child/Adolescent Clinic where he conducted intakes, screenings and evaluated the needs of families while working in collaboration with psychiatry staff. He also facilitated individual, group and family therapy while educating clients about the nature of their illness.

Cesar has also worked as a Crisis Intervention Specialist for the Capital Region Children and Adolescent Mobile Crisis Team in Albany, NY. There, he provided rapid response to children, adolescents, and families in crisis.

Prior in his career, Cesar worked as a Mental Health Social Worker at Unified Services in Troy, NY for Rensselaer County’s Department of Mental Health.

Cesar has also worked for Vanderheyden Hall, Inc in Wynantskill, NY as an IRA House Manager, Direct Care Worker and Staff Support Specialist. He has worked for RSS (Rehabilitation Support Services) as a Mentally Ill and Chemically Addicted Case Coordinator in Albany, NY.

Earlier in his career Cesar worked as an Activity Coordinator and Case Manager for Supervised Lifestyles Health in Brewster, NY. He has interned for the award wining Albany County Mobile Crisis Team in Albany, NY; and also interned at Woodlawn Elementary, in Schenectady City School District in Schenectady, NY.

Drawing on his unique experience of immigrating from Peru as a young teenager, Cesar specializes in rapport building with a strengths-based approach towards treating behavioral health concerns.

With many years of practice in a variety of mental health settings including public and private care, Cesar has worked in both in-patient and out-patient settings, He is adept at offering individuals a targeted therapeutic approach to balance short-term needs and present skillful and competent interventions while simultaneously building rapport towards long-term goals.

Cesar has extensive training in crisis intervention and has worked in a supervisory capacity for several years; making him responsible for the training and competency of dozens of skilled clinicians in New York State. As with most crisis clinicians, and with a contagious and fun loving personality; Cesar is best known for his assessment capability and skillful aptitude towards managing almost any situation while providing direct support and untrammeled professional supervision to his team.

A message from Cesar...

"Good mental health means hope - finding strengths, building resilience, and valuing most of all, every individual's own unique dignity and value."

Lisa Phillips, LCSW, CASAC-M

Lisa is a New York State Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Master’s level CASAC (Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor). She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from SUNY Oneonta in 2009 and earned her CASAC credential in 2012. Lisa went on to earn her Master’s Degree in Social Work from SUNY Albany in 2016. 

Lisa is a Supervising Clinician with Legacy Behavioral Health and is the captain of “Alpha Team”.

Lisa began her career in Human Services working in the Addictions field from 2009 to 2022. She worked for Otsego County Chemical Dependencies Clinic in Oneonta NY for three years and then for St. Peter’s Addiction Recovery Center (SPARC) in Rotterdam NY for 10 years. At SPARC she worked as a Clinician, Senior Counselor, and Program Manager. For the past two years, Lisa has worked in Outpatient Mental Health settings, providing individual and group therapy services to individuals with primary mental health conditions. 

Lisa has a wealth of experience working with a diverse population of individuals who are dually diagnosed with substance use disorder and mental health conditions. Lisa is a dedicated and compassionate social worker with a profound commitment to helping people reach their goals and become the best version of their unique self. Lisa is trained and experienced in CBT, DBT, Trauma Informed Care, Motivational Interviewing, Crisis Intervention, and Solution Focused Therapy. Lisa believes in and operates with a person-centered approach and is skilled in a variety of techniques from multiple theoretical perspectives. Empowerment theory is at the heart of Lisa’s practice.

Lisa embodies the true spirit of social work and exemplifies the values of empathy, resilience, and unconditional positive regard. Her ability to establish genuine connections with individuals has made a lasting impact on the lives she touches and has contributed to the success of numerous interventions over the last 15 years.

Sharon L. Keenan, LCSW

Sharon is a New York State Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She holds a Masters of Social Work from Springfield College in Massachusetts. She previously received her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from the College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York. 

She is the on-site Supervising Social Worker at Legacy Behavioral Health, PC and serves as captain of the “Purple Team.”

Sharon is highly skilled with different populations having worked with children, adolescents, teens, families, and adults at Parsons Child and Family Center as both a school based clinician at the Cohoes School District as well as at the New Karner Rd. Behavioral Health Clinic.  In addition, Sharon brings with her experience as a crisis therapist at the Family Counseling Center in Gloversville.  She has also worked with the forensic population with Albany County Mental Health and with the NYS DOCCS/OMH prison system. 

Sharon has a passion for working with those who may be struggling with the aging process.  She is currently seeing patients who are between the ages of 30-up; focusing on the ages of 50 and above. 

Sharon’s belief is focusing on the “whole person” and “meeting the person where they are at.”  She utilizes strengths based, person centered, solutions focused, CBT, and trauma focused approaches with clients.  Sharon believes people’s upbringing and their life experiences are the most valuable tools in the therapy process. 

Sharon believes a strong therapeutic partnership is crucial to successful outcomes.  Each person has a path they are walking in life and when they reach the crossroads of that path, and decide to make a decision, Sharon walks beside them and supports that decision.


 
 

Tamika Hardwick, LCSW, LMSW

Tamika is a New York State Licensed Master Social Worker and State of Delaware Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Africana Studies with a minor in Psychology from the State University of New York (SUNY) at New Paltz; and a Masters in Social Work from University at Albany, School of Social Welfare. 

Tamika is a Supervising Clinician with Legacy Behavioral Health and is captain of “Echo Team”.

Tamika has been a provider of clinical services for over 15 years. She specializes in mental health and substance abuse treatment with the Veterans population. She has been a social worker for Veterans Health Administration since 2011.  She has worked for the Albany Stratton VA Medical Center and the  Washington DC VA Medical Center. In Washington, she worked in an outpatient mental health clinic before joining a multidisciplinary team in an outpatient substance abuse clinic. 

Tamika previously worked with the Albany County Department of Mental Health for 5 years. She was a team member of the Albany County Mobile Crisis Team, providing emergent psychiatric assessments to children, adults, and the elderly. She continued her service with the Albany County Department of Mental Health by then joining the Albany County Community, Assessment, Referral & Treatment Team. In this role, she provided individual therapy, early intervention, and crisis intervention to adult clients with dual diagnosis. 

With an interest in working with children, Tamika joined the Parsons Child and Family Center – Capital Regional Child and Adolescent Mobile Crisis Team for 4 years as a per diem Crisis Intervention Specialist. In this role, she provided face to face crisis assessments of children and adolescents experiencing an emotional and/or behavioral crisis. She also worked at the Hudson Mohawk Recovery Center – Substance Abuse Intensive Program for 3 years as a per diem group facilitator. In this role, she co-facilitated educational group therapy sessions and lectures on substance abuse and addiction. 

Tamika uses cognitive behavioral therapy, person-centered therapy, and a strengths-based approach in helping those she serves. She also has experience in mindfulness practices. She facilitates a Mindfulness Based and Recovery Group in her current role at DC VAMC. She has received certificates in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) through PESI, Inc.   

Tamika is certified by the American Board of Examiners in Clinical Social Work as a Board Certified Diplomate in Clinical Social Work. She is also certified by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services – Municipal Police Training Council as a Certified Mental Health Instructor. 

She is a proud member of the Association of VA Social Workers (AVASW).

Tamika has a zeal for helping others which inspired her to become a part of the helping and healing profession of Social Work.  Tamika also has a great passion for traveling, especially international destinations. She enjoys theater and performance arts, cycling, and spending time with family and friends.  

A message from Tamika...

“Life is a JOURNEY, not a destination.” 


 
 

Carla Natale, LCSW

Carla is a New York State Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Certified School Social Worker. Having been a provider of clinical services for nearly 20 years, Carla has an unwavering passion for treating children. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Sociology from SUNY Oneonta in 2001. She holds a Masters Degree in Social Work from the University of Albany School of Social Welfare—2003.

Carla is a Supervising Social Worker and is captain of the “Blue Team”.

Carla has a long standing history of working with a diverse population of adolescents, teens & young adults, and has been working in school districts since 2008. She also has experience as a clinician serving clients with intellectual and developmental disabilities and dual diagnosis in a day treatment setting.

Carla specializes in the areas of grief and loss, school anxiety, crisis intervention, interpersonal and school related issues as well as navigating services for families within the special education system. She has extensive experience working with the juvenile justice system, family court and probation services. She utilizes a person-centered, strengths based and solution focused approach with compassion and openness to best serve her clients.

 
 

Gabriela Melillo, LCSW

Gabriela is a New York State Licensed Clinical Social Worker and holds a Master of Social Work degree from the University at Albany School of Social Welfare. She also received a Bachelor’s degree in psychology with minors in sociology and education from UAlbany.

Gabriela is a Supervising Clinician with Legacy Behavioral Health and is captain of “Bravo Team”.

Gabriela has gained extensive experience and training working with survivors of trauma and has worked with children, adolescents, and adults. She has served in multiple roles within a child advocacy center and in higher education. She is also certified as a Rape Crisis Counselor through the New York State Department of Health and was a victim advocate with a local sexual assault crisis center for many years. Serving in varying capacities has allowed Gabriela to understand the different systems and processes her clients must often navigate and, in turn, help them advocate for their wants and needs.

Gabriela uses a client-centered approach that embraces and celebrates individuals’ resilience, vulnerability, and connection to themselves and to others. She strives to create space for clients to explore their authenticity by drawing on the different dimensions of one’s Self and lived experiences. Since working with clients will look and feel differently based on the person’s needs and goals, Gabriela incorporates a range of theories and practices into her work, including an emphasis on the mind-body connection, nervous system regulation, attachment theory, and cognitive behavioral therapy. Gabriela is also trained in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) for treating trauma-related symptoms in children and adolescents. While Gabriela specializes as a trauma therapist with a focus on gender-based violence, she has worked with individuals experiencing a variety of challenges including anxiety, depression, and self-harm as well as those who are exploring sexuality and intimate relationships.

Nicola Most, LMHC

Nicola received her Bachelor’s Degree in Human Development with a focus in Psychology from Empire State College. She holds a Masters in counseling from St. Bonaventure University. Nicola’s interest in counseling began as a desire to help others find themselves, their own path forward, and their own unique way of being in the world. She practices person-centered, holistic, Integrative therapy using a variety of treatment approaches according to the individual needs of her clients.

Nicola is a Supervising Clinician with Legacy Behavioral Health and is captain of “Omega Team”.

Upon graduating from Empire State College, Nicola worked as a Psychiatric Rehabilitation Counselor at St. Mary’s Healthcare in their Personalized Recovery Oriented Services program (PROS) in Gloversville, NY. As a PROS counselor, Nicola taught many Wellness Self-Management classes, including Expressive Arts, Domestic Violence Education, DBT for Anxiety, and a Women’s group, among others. She also created an Introduction to Chakras class, which educated clients about what each chakra represents, what affects our energy flow, and how to balance ourselves. 

Nicola joins The Legacy Companies with experience in individual therapy as well. She has provided one-on-one counseling and advocacy for clients; as she believes that this is an important part of her work in healthcare. Her holistic approach addresses the whole person—mind, body, and spirit; all while creating a non-judgmental, empathetic, and restorative environment for helping her client discover their inner selves.


Lissette Stapleton, LMSW

Lissette has been a bilingual (Spanish) Social Worker for the past 31 years. She was born in Long Island, New York and raised in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. She received her Bachelor degree in Social work from the University of Sacred heart in Santurce, Puerto Rico and her Master degree in Social Work from University Interamerican in Cupey, Puerto Rico. 

LIssette is the Evening On-Site Supervisor and is captain of the Yellow team.

Lissette has worked as a Psychiatric Social Worker with children and adults in several outpatient clinics in the area including Ellis Hospital in Schenectady, where she worked with patients ages 18 and older.  She has also worked at, St. Mary's Hospital in Amsterdam with patients ages 4  to 18 years old.  Lissette has also worked in Gloversville, NY and at Glens Falls Hospital with patients ages 18 years  to 85 years old. There, she provided therapy to people with issues such as bipolar disorders, depression, anxiety, bipolar, PTSD, ADHD, ADD, ODD, autism and more.

Lissette has also worked with children with behavioral issues through Parsons as a Preventive Social Worker. There, she worked with ages 3 years old to 18 years old.  She has worked for the Center for Disability Services, working with Autistic children and children with behavioral issues. While there, Lissette became very comfortable working with children from the ages of 3 to 5 years old. She has been trained on EMDR (eye movement and desensitization reprocessing) and has also received extensive training on autism spectrum.. She utilizes modalities such as problem-solving, solution focus, psychotherapy, play therapy, EMDR and more. Lissette has extensive experience with individual therapy, group therapy and family therapy, as well as helping to develop and repair personal and interpersonal relationships. 

Lissette has always enjoyed outdoor activities. She has a contagious energy and a graceful presence. She loves helping and celebrating others.  Lissette believes that there is a higher power that guides us to do our best for ourselves and for others.. She partnered with her church in October 2017 Corpus Christi Church of Round Lake and the American Red Cross to provide help to those in need after Hurricane Maria,, Puerto Rico's most devastating storm that disrupted the lives of the entire island on September 20, 2017. While there, she was able to work for a week on assessing family's needs and providing food supplies, cash,, as well as providing counseling and holding space for the needs of those affected.

Lissette is proud of her heritage, culture and the opportunity to give back to her native island. Lissette remarks that this is something which she will always be profoundly grateful for having done.

A message from Lissette, 

"Feeling distressed, anxious, hopeless? Seeking help is the first step in getting better and decreasing your symptoms to a point to live a healthier life. Together we will work to achieve this goal by decreasing your symptoms and creating a better daily routine.." 

Sherman Stovall Jr., President

Sherman Stovall, Jr (LCSW-R, MA, CEAP, Q-SAP, C-DER, EAS-C) is President of The Companies at Legacy, Inc, (TCAL) and is leader of The Legacy League, USA.

He is founder of LegacyCrypto, a decentralized financial and medical ledger that uses blockchain technology and other consensus algorithms to secure user data.

In 2021, Sherman presented LegacyCoin as the worlds first “Wellness Cryptocurrency”. Later that year he announced LegacyCoin as the official currency of The Companies at Legacy and confirmed plans to develop The Legacy Foundation.

The Foundation’s primary responsibility would be to assist Legacy Technologies with developing a robust network of nodes that could handle T-CAL’s thousands of transactions per second without compromising security of the network.

The Legacy Foundation’s second mission parameter would be to behave as a centralized agent of authority known as TANK on the Legacy Network. This function would ultimately be proceeded by a consensus and mining Designated Proof of Stake protocol—creating the first Wellness centralized ledger to be “backed up” by a decentralized ledger—giving birth to Legacy Crypto.

Sherman has also confirmed plans for Legacy Technologies to develop the new Digital Wellness Experience (DWE) which would include the video game debut of LegacyMan.

LegacyMan follows the digital story of T-CAL’s Legacy Foundation.

In the game, the user can opt to play as ‘LegacyMan’, the worlds first Wellness Superhero.

In the game, LegacyMan travels the universe and saves worlds by initiating acts of wellness by teaching generations of people and children on how to practice wellness.

T-CAL is set to develop the first of its kind Wellness-Crypto-Gaming software that allows users to play as Tank’s general on the Legacy_LANDS network—a character named Cypher.

In this “mining” or idle mode, users can earn cryptocurrency, or Legacy-Coin by completing objectives and tasks as Cypher.

Cypher earns its users cryptocurrency by allowing them to mine cryptocurrency passively from their phones and digital devices.

This creates the worlds first Wellness Cryptocurrency by essentially allowing users to make money in the digital world while simultaneously securing Legacy’s network by simply playing the game.

The new Digital Wellness Experience at T-CAL simultaneously allows its users to be able to earn and spend their LegacyCoin in the digital world of T-CAL’s game—LegacyMan—while also allowing players to purchase healing goods and services from any of The Companies at Legacy.

This allows T-CAL members to operate within both realms while using only the wellness currency, Legacy-Coin.

T-CAL accomplishes this by allowing players to earn and spend cryptocurrency within the virtual space, and in reality—All from one ledger.

In the game, players can even shop at any of The Companies at Legacy, including The Wellness Companies at Legacy, (the retail arm of Legacy). There, they can purchase holistic goods and healing services.

When a player visits The Wellness Companies at Legacy in the game, any items or services that are purchased will result in the player receiving the product in real life.

This turns LegacyMan into a Digital Retail Portal by allowing the player to make decisions related to their wellness in the digital space which can have real life consequences or results. This includes a players ability to earn and spend from their Legacy-Wallet—which exists in both a virtual and real life digital reality.

So now, currency that can be earned for free in the virtual space, has the same value in the digital and real world space—and can ultimately be circulated and used as real life currency.

Users can earn free cryptocurrency by playing LegacyMan on their phones and then use that same Legacy-Coin to purchase healing at The Companies at Legacy or at any merchant that accepts Legacy-Coin.

A truly innovative concept.

Sherman has explained that he designed Legacy_LANDS on the Legacy Network to operate at its best while simultaneously being under-siege and attack from malicious software and users.

Sherman accomplishes this by giving the Legacy Network “Shields”. Shields allow for transactions on the Legacy Network to operate on an autonomous relay for final authentication, a process that Legacy Technologies calls LIT-FAB.

LIT-FAB stands for Legacy Innovative Technologies -Final Assessment & Battle.

LIT-FAB provides a concierge service for Legacy users’ transactions over the LEGACY_LANDS network.

LEGACY_LANDS is T-CAL’s Legacy Authentication Network Defense System.

LEGACY_LANDS includes Sherman’s built in defense protocols, which consists of a robust ‘Delayed Proof of Work’ protocol, followed by SPECTRE’s DAG protocol which works to achieve its required 51% consensus algorithm.

LEGACY_LANDS is ultimately secured “by the People” at Legacy-Nation as a Delegated Proof of Stake algorithm which was originally designed by Legacy Technologies for T-CAL.

T-CAL, or The Companies at Legacy consists of: Legacy Technologies, LLC; Legacy Behavioral Health, PC; Legacy Health Partners, LLC, The Legacy Collection, LLC; The Legacy Tree, LLC; The Wellness Companies at Legacy, LLC; Legacy Steel Transportation Company, LLC; Root3d, A Legacy Company, LLC and The American Legacy Companies, LLC.

Sherman is the founder and managing partner of Legacy Behavioral Health, PC, and Legacy Health Partners, LLC, including its yoga company subsidiary, Root3d, A Legacy Company, LLC.

Sherman has been a provider of clinical services in the Capital Region of New York for over 18 years. He has worked for public, private and corporate entities throughout his career, including years spent in corporate working as a Regional Employee Assistance Manager for CSX Transportation. He has also worked as a Employee Assistance Consultant with Magellan Health and New Directions Behavioral Health for the United States Postal Service. He has many years of experience with collaboration and providing executive consultation to leadership and work groups throughout the country. Sherman enjoys working with his colleagues to provide guidance and clinical supervision to Legacy’s team of Providers. He is well known for utilizing a strengths based approach towards helping his team and clients manage almost any problem. 

Sherman has spent years managing conflicts and crisis’ while working for the premier psychiatric institute in New York State, the Capital District Psychiatric Center (CDPC).  He worked for the New York State Crisis Intervention Unit (CIU), also located in Albany, NY. Sherman has also worked for the award winning Albany County Mobile Crisis Team, an emergency psychiatric response team in New York State. He adds to his experience with both inpatient and outpatient psychiatric experience through his time spent with the Crisis Inpatient Division located at CDPC. Before leaving public service in 2012 to form Legacy, Sherman was working for the Community Assessment Referral Treatment Team, another specialized unit in Albany County’s Department of Mental Health.

Sherman has specialized training in addiction psychiatry and substance abuse. He has worked for Conifer Park in Glenville, NY as an Addiction Specialist. Prior to that, he worked as a Medical Social Worker for Albany Medical Center Hospital and has received additional training at the LaSalle School for Boys, where he worked in their Juvenile Sexual Victim and Offender Program. Sherman is credentialed by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services' Municipal Police Training Council, and certified to provide training and instruction on Police Mental Health tactics and negotiations to NY State Troopers and all Police in New York State.

Sherman is certified by the United States Department of Transportation as a Qualified Substance Abuse Professional, QSAP. This designation and specialized training qualifies Sherman to assess, diagnose and make Return to Duty recommendations for federal employees suffering from substance abuse who work in sensitive safety positions across the United States. This includes FAA- Pilots; FRA- Railroad Conductors & Engineers; FMCSA- Federal Motor Carriers; PHMSA- Pipeline Hazardous Materials Handlers; and US Coast Guard & Maritime personnel.

Sherman is credentialed and holds several qualifications by EAPA, The Employee Assistance Professional Association. In 2014, Sherman earned the designation of CEAP, Certified Employee Assistance Professional. He also holds the Employee Assistance Clinical Specialist credential— a qualification signifying specialized training in the field of Employee Assistance in private practice. Sherman also holds credentials from DATIA, the Drug & Alcohol Testing Industry Association. He has served on the Board of Directors for numerous nonprofit organizations across the United States. Sherman has also been affiliated and is a member of countless professional organizations including: IACP, The International Association of Chiefs of Police; NASW, National Association of Social Workers; DATIA; EAPA; DCJS, Division Criminal Justice Services; EAR, Employee Assistance Roundtable and ATAP, Association of Threat Assessment Professionals. He is a subject matter expert in the field of Behavioral Health, Substance Abuse and Employee Assistance. He is a Critical Incident Responder, (CIR) for New York State and works with police agencies to respond to high profile calls requiring rapid assessment, consultation and negotiation. He is a guest lecturer at Universities and Colleges across New York State and continues to provide clinical supervision and consultation to students, individuals, communities and organizations in the Capital Region. He is a New York State Licensed Clinical Social Worker with the “R” psychotherapy privilege, licensed to provide diagnoses and psychotherapy to individuals experiencing behavioral health concerns.

Sherman earned dual Bachelors Degrees in Psychology and Sociology from The University at Albany, SUNY. During his undergraduate career, he also completed a specialization in Education Counseling Psychology.

He holds Masters degrees in both Criminal Justice and Social Work.

from Sherman,

“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”