Laura Fernandez
Laura Fernandez
New York, NY – Laura M. Fernandez, LMSW, has been appointed Clinical Director at Sanctuary for Families, a leading service provider and advocate for survivors of domestic violence, sex trafficking, and related forms of gender violence in New York City, announced Hon. Judy Harris Kluger, Sanctuary for Families' Executive Director. The appointment was effective September 8th.
As Sanctuary’s new Clinical Director, Ms. Fernandez will provide leadership, management, and strategic direction for all clinical services citywide, including individual and group counseling, case management, crisis intervention services, and a program for survivors who serve as mentors for others. She will have oversight responsibility for the team of 40 clinicians and the clinical department’s administrative and support personnel. Additionally, Ms. Fernandez will manage program development and fiscal operations for the unit.
More than 5,500 individuals receive life-saving clinical services at Sanctuary each year.
Fernandez, a doctoral candidate in social welfare at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, has extensive clinical expertise in issues related to domestic violence and its impact on families. With high-level nonprofit management experience, this 16-year veteran of Edwin Gould Services for Children and Families in Brooklyn most recently served as the organization’s Assistant Executive Director of Programs. She also has deep and long-standing ties to Sanctuary, joining first as a social work intern in 1995 and then as a member of the clinical staff from 1996-1999.
“Laura Fernandez is a true agent of positive change, and we are delighted to welcome her back to Sanctuary. We look forward to her contributions as a leader in our mission to assist and empower our clients to move from fear and abuse to safety and stability,” said Judge Kluger.
“Early on, Sanctuary for Families helped to shape my career as an advocate for survivors of gender violence. I am honored to have the opportunity to return as its new clinical director,” said Ms. Fernandez.
A former adjunct professor at the Hunter College School of Social Work, Ms. Fernandez is also a member of the NY Initiative for Children of Incarcerated Parents and the Council on Family and Child Caring Agencies. A Brooklyn resident, she received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Tufts University and her Master of Science in Social Work from Columbia University.