The Emotional Wellness Support Team is a collective of mental health licensed and trained professionals at Byram Hills High School. We support our students, families and larger school community by consulting with administrators, teachers and parents to identify young people that are struggling and may need extra support and services. We also work proactively to get ahead of problems before they escalate by creating programs that support youth development. We serve as liaisons between school, home and the larger community. We provide individual and group counseling, assessment for special education referrals, and offer consults around 504 and IEP plans.
Marisa Cuomo holds a doctorate of psychology (Psy. D) from Fairleigh Dickinson University. For the last decade, Dr. Cuomo has worked in school districts with children and adolescents of all ages. She specializes in providing treatment to young children and teens with a variety of difficulties such as depression, anxiety, school refusal, and executive function deficits. Dr. Cuomo also specializes in psychoeducational testing and diagnosis of learning disabilities. She is proficient in navigating the policies and procedures of the special education process and special education law. She has a special interest in positive psychology; focusing on human strengths and positive institutions instead of weaknesses and obstacles. Her doctoral research focused on the character strengths of high school students and is entitled “The Effects of a Character Strength Intervention on Life Satisfaction and Self-esteem of High School Students”. Dr. Cuomo is also a Chairperson for the 504 and the CSE committees for grades 10 and 12. She also provides interventions that derive from Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) model. She can be reached at 914-273-9200 ext. 4956 or by emailing her here Marisa Cuomo.
Dr. Becca Greenwell, School Psychologist. Dr. Becca Greenwell earned her Ph.D. from Temple University in 2012 and has since gained extensive experience in various educational settings, with a concentrated focus on high school environments. Dr. Greenwell is passionate about helping adolescents understand and advocate for their academic and social-emotional strengths and needs, empowering them with the skills needed to navigate college and adulthood effectively. In her school-based counseling work, she employs strategies from multiple therapeutic modalities, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, mindfulness-based stress reduction, social skills instruction, and trauma-informed practices. Dr. Greenwell has expertise in conducting psychoeducational assessment to identify various educational needs (learning disabilities, attention and executive functioning deficits, autism, emotional disabilities, etc.) and guide recommendations for appropriate supports and accommodations. Additionally, she serves as chairperson for 504 and CSE committee meetings for students in grades 9 and 11. Dr. Greenwell is committed to working collaboratively with parents, teachers, and the Byram Hills community to foster student wellbeing and promote a safe, welcoming environment where all students can thrive. She can be reached at 914-273-9200 ext. 4955 or via email: Dr. Becca Greenwell.
Allison Muelle, LMSW, is the School Social Worker at the high school. Allison earned her Master's in Social Work from the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College. Allison will provide social emotional wellness support to students in grades 9-12, as well as working with families to support overall student social emotional wellness. She works with students in a one on one setting as well as in a group setting. Ms. Muelle works with students on goal setting, managing anxiety, coping skills, emotional health, decision making, and many other aspects to support a student's mental health and overall success. Ms. Muelle can be reached at 914-273-9200 ext. 4953 or by emailing her here Allison Muelle.
Bernice Pagan, LMSW, is the Student Assistance Counselor at the high school. She will provide alcohol, tobacco, vaping and other drug prevention activities. She will also be available for short term individual and group counseling. Ms. Pagan provides classroom presentations, parent presentations and faculty presentations on various topics. Ms. Pagan is the advisor to the Youth 2 Youth (Y2Y) Club, a club whose members empower their peers to make healthy decisions. She can be reached here Bernice Pagan or 273-9200 ext. 4943.
Additional Resources
In the event of a psychiatric emergency, you can call:
- Call 911 in any emergency
- National Suicide Hotline (800) 273-Talk or (800) 273-8255
- Crisis Prevention and Response Team at (914) 925-5959
National alliance on Mental Health (NAMI): namiwestchester.org
Trained staff answer calls and provide information about mental health resources in Westchester. Call (914) 592-5458 Help Line, 9am-2pm, Monday-Friday
New York State office of Addiction Services and supports (OASAS): oasas.ny.gov
Provides information and access to prevention, treatment, and recovery services for alcohol and other substance use disorders and problem gambling.
Call (877) 846-7369 or text HOPENY (467369) for help 24 hours a day.