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Our Programs

Byram School District

Glen Rock School District

Great Oaks Legacy Charter School

Indian Hills School District

Lawrence Township School District

Mountain Lakes School District

Randolph School District

Roxbury School District

Weehawken School District
Download our Current Programs
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Our Story
In 2008, a former director of special services at a Bergen County public school approached Sage to explore whether there might be a way of importing Sage Day’s in-depth therapeutic services from our private special education schools into a public school setting. We recognized two critical needs: supporting those students who were on the cusp of being placed out of district and providing a smooth transition for those students who were thriving out-of-district and could potentially transition back to district.
As we launched our Sage Thrive programs, the benefits became clear to students, their families and their school districts.
Today we are running many successful Sage Thrive programs throughout New Jersey and we are continuously expanding.
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Our Team
Zack Schwartz has been with Sage Day since 2004. He served as a staff therapist at the Sage Day Rochelle Park High School for his first four years before becoming the on-site supervising therapist for Sage Day’s first in-district program at Glen Rock High School. Zack was later promoted to the Director of In-District Services in 2014 and is currently responsible for hands-on oversight and supervision of all Sage In-District Services. In addition to Zack’s many accomplishments with Sage Day, he recently completed his post-graduate training to become a certified psychoanalyst. He can be reached at zschwartz@sageday.com or by phone, (201) 776-6794.
Richard Lally received his MSW from NYU in 1995. Rich has received post-graduate training from the Minuchin Center for the Family, Princeton Family Center for Education and New Jersey Center for Family Studies. He worked at St. Clare’s Hospital for 15 years. Rich trained therapists and psychiatrists at Bergen Regional Medical Center and NYU Child Study Center. He was also an adjunct professor at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Rich has been employed at Sage Day since 2014 as a clinical supervisor at Byram Schools. Rich currently serves on the Board of Directors at the Minuchin Center for the Family.
Stephen Midouhas, MSW, LCSW, has been employed by Sage Day since 2011. He initially started as a staff therapist at Sage Day Rochelle Park and then was given the opportunity in 2014 to be the clinical supervisor at the Glen Rock In-District program. He graduated from Rutgers University in 2011 and specializes in working with adolescents and families.
Frank Harvey, LCSW has worked in the mental health field since 1986. He has been employed at Sage Day since 2015 as clinical supervisor at Great Oaks Legacy Charter School in Newark, NJ. He received his B.A. in Psychology from Ramapo College and his MSW from Rutgers University. Frank has extensive post-graduate training in Structural Family Therapy from The Minuchin Center for the Family and currently serves on their Board of Directors.
Tracy Druckenbrod, PhD received her doctorate in Psychology from Syracuse University in 1999. She joined Sage in 2017 as the Clinical Supervisor in the Lawrence Township School District. Tracy has completed post-doctoral training in adolescent psychotherapy and neuropsychology. She has worked as a psychotherapist and conducted neurocognitive assessments for children, adolescents, and adults in a variety of settings including middle and high schools, residential facilities, and in private practice.
Lori Phelan has been the Sage Clinician at Mountain Lakes since 2015. Prior to working for Sage Day Lori was a School Social Worker and later a Counseling Supervisor for Catapult Learning for 12 years. In addition to her school experience, Lori has worked in Psychiatric Emergency Services and adoption. She also has post training certification through Russell Barkley Training Center. Lori graduated from New York University in 1997 with her Masters in Social Work.
Linda McGovern has been working with Sage Day since 2001. She initially started as a teacher of History, Science and Math at Sage Day Middle School before becoming a staff therapist in 2007. In 2014, Linda was given the opportunity to become a Clinical Supervisor of Sage In-District Services in the Randolph School District. Linda received her M.Ed as well as completed her post graduate licensing and training at William Paterson University.
Marie DeAcetis, MSW, LCSW received her MSW from Fordham University in 1998. Marie has been the Clinical Supervisor in Roxbury School District since 2009. Initially, Marie implemented the program at the high school level. Since its inception, it has grown to serve students ranging from grades 5 through 12. Marie also received post-graduate training at the Academy of Clinical and Applied Psychoanalysis.
Yerelyn Reyes-Strauss, MSW, LCSW has been working as a Sage Clinician since its implementation at Weehawken High School in 2016. Yerelyn previously worked as a Psychotherapist at Jewish Board Of Family and Children Services Outpatient Mental Health Clinic in Bronx, NY for 10 years and as a clinical School Social Worker at the The Equity Project Charter School in NYC for 2 years. She received her MSW from SUNY Albany in 2004 and completed a two year psychoanalytic program at the Institute of Contemporary Psychotherapy in 2011.
Kirsten Adams, MSW, LCSW, completed her MSW at Fordham University in 2005. She has previous experience working at multiple Sage in-district programs since 2015, prior to her current role as Clinical Supervisor at Indian Hills High School. Kirsten has received post-graduate training in the areas of infant, child and adolescent mental health through Adelphi University as well as extensive training in the field of interpersonal neurobiology and attachment.
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Testimonials
Administrator – “Because of Sage In-District Services, students identified behaviors have decreased dramatically which has resulted in less time at the office and more in the class. Counseling is immediate when there is an incident.”
CST Member – “I have seen so many positive changes in my students including- reduction in depressive symptoms, better coping strategies for anxiety, depression, and anger and increased positive social interactions.”
Teacher – “ The Sage Clinician met with all of the staff who interacts with student and as a group we came up with a plan to extinguish student’s negative behaviors.”
Guidance Counselor – ”I have worked with the Sage Clinician often and admire her consistent depth of care and professional presence for her clients. I find our students develop a deep trust and sense of safety with her. Her tool belt is easily and effectively shared.”
Parent – “Thank you so much. Sage was a big part of my son’s growth this year. I am so thankful that he has someone he trusts and can confide in when he feels the need to do so. Knowing that a Sage Clinician is there for him when he needs her has helped him feel more secure in school and be himself.”
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Goals
- Fill the gap in service between OOD placement and traditional in-school supports
- Provide support that allows students to grow and succeed while remaining in or returning to a familiar environment (LRE-least restrictive environment)
- Early intervention of emotional issues which results in increased academic achievement, improved attendance and decreased behavioral incidents
- Seamless integration and flexible approach to meet the individualized needs of each school district

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News
Download the slides from our presentation, School-Based Solutions To The Mental Health Crisis here:

Download Sage Day Thrive’s Parent handbook by clicking the image below:

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Data
SINCE 2008
SAGE THRIVE DATA
12-15
Average Student Caseload per clinician.
97.7%
of students receiving counseling have been retained in-district.
$500k
Average district net savings per year.
Reason For Student Referral

*Based on 2016-17 school year
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Get In Touch
[contact-form-7 id=”6132″ title=”In-District Contact Form”]
201 East Ridgewood Ave.
Suite 5
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
Feel free to contact us directly:
Zack Schwartz, Director of Sage Thrive Services: zschwartz@sageday.com (201) 776-6794
John Reilly, Executive Director: jreilly@sageday.com (201) 723-2473.