Amy Vallarelli one of a team of six to receive recognition
Goshen, N.Y. (March 17, 2011) – Amy Vallarelli, Director of Social Services at Elant at Brandywine in Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., was honored by Psi Chi, the international honor society for psychology, for research that she did on a therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder victims and families of victims from 9/11.
Vallarelli was part of a team of graduate students throughout metro New York who were awarded a certificate and medal from Psi Chi for their research in the field of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and cinema therapy. She was one of six members of the team that received awards from Dr. Linda Barile, a research professor at New York University, at a luncheon ceremony March 10. EMDR is a psychotherapy that involves psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral, interpersonal, experiential and body-centered therapies for people who experience trauma.
“In my research I found that incorporating both EMDR therapy and cinema therapy simultaneously was useful in treating victims of trauma and with people suffering from post-traumatic stress,” she said. “The brain responds positively to EMDR sounds and movements and I found that when clients watched specific movies that they could relate to, it helped them process their own trauma that they had suffered.”
Vallarelli was inspired to do the research while working for the residents of Brandywine during her clinical hours. “Brandywine has a unique population,” she said. “The residents at Brandywine are diverse. Many are younger and are going through rehabilitation. They have multiple sclerosis, they have traumatic brain injuries, and they have strokes. But, they all have a story to tell.”
Vallarelli started working at Elant at Brandywine in May of 2008 to complete clinical hours needed for her graduate internship work at Pace University toward her Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling. She later completed her internship hours at Elant at Brandywine but stayed at Brandywine working part time as a Social Services assistant through December of 2009. She later returned to Elant at Brandywine in July of 2010 as its Director of Social Services.
ABOUT ELANT
Elant at Brandywine Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center in Briarcliff Manor offers both short-term and long-term care and is part of the Elant, Inc., system. Elant was founded in 1985 in Goshen, N.Y., as a 120-bed not-for-profit, community-based nursing home. Elant offers seven locations, as well as in-home and day treatment programs, throughout the region. It offers a broad spectrum of services that provides for the needs of more than 3,500 people. Elant provides a full continuum of care including Sub-Acute Care and Rehabilitation Services, Nursing Home Care, Assisted Living, Adult Day Care, Retirement Community Living, Home Health Care and a Managed Long Term Care Plan.
