Minnelly Vasquez, LCSW

Licensed Clinical Social Worker Minnelly Vasqueze, LCSW is a member of the mental health team at the Weinberg Family Cerebral Palsy Center. She provides support to individuals and families living with cerebral palsy through therapy and support groups. She talks to us about her work with families living with cerebral palsy and how she works with the patient care team.

How did you get started with working with families living with Cerebral Palsy (CP)?

After obtaining my Master of Social Work I went directly to working with individuals with disabilities and their family members. Before joining the CP Center, I had several patients with CP but never knew it because they never spoke about it and it wasn’t a diagnosis that was in their chart when I was referred a case. Now working at the CP Center, I can integrate physical and emotional medicine to lead more wellness focused care.

What are some of the things you’ve learned from your patients that our community can benefit from?

I have learned from patients is the sense of resiliency and creativity to make it through tough moments. Surprisingly around the time a few of my clients’ experienced death, I did as well in my close circle. Grief is different every time with each person and relationship, and I learned it is okay to take breaks because rest is so important for the marathon of life.  

What services do you provide for families at the CP Center?

At the CP Center I provide individual, family, and group therapy.

Tell us one thing you want people to know about social work.

Social work is a field focused on people and community, everything that can impact people and communities’ wellbeing we focus on and we bring into every space - environmental justice, food security, housing, human rights, political and social justice are what we bring to all areas of our profession.