YUDELKA MSW, LCSW, MBA, C-EMDR

I attribute my success to believing in myself and believing in God. I make an agreement with paying a price - to pay the price or whatever it is that I need to do to get what I want, and then go after it. I try not to pay too much attention to what other people say, especially if people might underestimate you. I focus on God, believe in myself, and do whatever it takes, meaning education, work, trainings, mentoring, whatever it is that I need to learn and apply to do an excellent job in what I do. And then I reach those goals and go after them. That has been my recipe for success. I also know that you can't be successful by yourself. Sometime in your journey, you really need to be humble and allow other people to teach you what they have done. Other people that have been successful - if you're open and humble to learn from them, you will be more likely to achieve success as well. I'm very conscious of that, and I am so grateful that I have had great mentors and people that have believed in me. Also my family - they believe in me, they support me, and I'm so grateful for that, and friends. But I'm always open to learn from other people, and that's also what I believe is the secret to success - knowing that you don't know it all. Whatever you are in any field, there is always room for improvement, there is always room for innovation, and you can only improve if you are open to that, to innovation, to learning more, and to possibilities.

One of the best pieces of career advice I’ve ever received came from my mentor, Mary Kay Wilstad. She encouraged me to stay committed to continuous learning and to never underestimate the importance of compassion and authenticity in leadership. Her guidance helped shape not only my journey through earning my master’s degree in social work, but also the way I approach my work and relationships professionally.

Mary Kay taught me that true leadership is about supporting others while remaining grounded in your values and purpose. Her mentorship gave me the confidence to grow professionally, take on leadership opportunities, and trust my ability to make a meaningful impact in the lives of others. That advice has stayed with me throughout my career and continues to influence the way I lead and serve today.

My advice would be to believe in yourself. In my case, I also believe in God, the living God. I believe in myself and make an agreement with paying a price - to pay the price or whatever it is that I need to do to get what I want, so go after it. And not to pay attention, too much attention to what other people say. If people might underestimate you, I try not to pay too much attention to that. I focus on God, believe in myself, and do whatever it takes, meaning education, work, trainings, mentoring, whatever it is that I need to learn and apply to do an excellent job in what I do. And then reach those goals, go after them. That has been my recipe for success. I would also say that you can't be successful by yourself. Sometime in your journey, you really need to be humble and allow other people to teach you what they have done. Other people that have been successful - if you're open and humble to learn from them, you will be more likely to achieve success as well. I'm very conscious of that. I am so grateful that I have had great mentors and people that have believed in me. Also my family - they believe in me, they support me. But I'm always open to learn from other people, and that's also what I believe is the secret to success - knowing that you don't know it all. Whatever you are in any field, there is always room for improvement, there is always room for innovation, and you can only improve if you are open to that, to innovation, to learning more, and to possibilities.

One of the biggest needs in our field is providing culturally sensitive mental health services. When you reach out for help with a therapist, it's very important that you feel understood, not judged, and that you feel that your culture is respected and that the therapist is not imposing their beliefs on you, on your case, on your life, because then that won't be beneficial for your treatment. This is something that is very, very needed in our field. The opportunity I see is in providing quality service that is evidence-based, trauma-informed, and bilingual in Spanish and English. We want to continue to grow as an organization by at least 25% in the next two years and expand to other states beyond New Jersey to provide our services to more people who need culturally sensitive mental health care.

The values most important to me are helping others, compassion, faith in God, family, and cultural respect. Since I was very young, I always felt passionate about helping others, and that passion has driven my entire career. I believe in God, the living God, and I believe in myself. I'm very family-oriented - I have 3 children and I enjoy spending time with them. Family is incredibly important to me. In my work, I value making sure that people feel understood, not judged, and that their culture is respected. I don't believe in imposing my beliefs on clients, because that won't be beneficial for their treatment. I also deeply value humility and being open to learning from others. I know that you don't know it all, and there is always room for improvement and innovation. Being humble and allowing other people to teach you is essential. I'm so grateful that I have had great mentors and people that have believed in me, and also my family who believes in me and supports me.