My name is Leslie S. Leff. (The kids call me “Ms. Leslie.”) I have had the honor of working as the NHRES school adjustment counselor since the end of January 2023.
For nearly two decades, I worked as an elementary classroom teacher after receiving my M.Ed. from Arcadia University (formerly Beaver College) in Glenside, PA. Due to my interest in working with the whole child, focusing on their emotional and social well-being, I went back to graduate school to become a clinical social worker. I received my Master's degree in Social Service (MSW equivalent) in 2015 from Bryn Mawr College Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research. My husband, Michael, and I relocated to Massachusetts soon after and I immediately began working as a child/family psychotherapist with children who have experienced trauma and with their families at the Children’s Clinic in Northampton. Eager to combine my two careers, I got my certification as a School Adjustment Counselor and worked in this capacity part-time at two small schools in southern Vermont beginning in February 2020.
As much as I loved working in those schools, the two-hour roundtrip commute was pretty grueling. So, in December 2022, I was excited to learn of the opening at New Hingham Regional Elementary School, an excellent school and only minutes away in my own community. Michael and I live in Chesterfield with our dog, Mateo. (That's a picture of him with me on this page.) We have three grown children.
I love being part of the NHRES community, partnering with my dedicated and talented colleagues and getting to know the students and families.