Presenter

Christina Kadelski is a practicing licensed professional counselor (LPC), licensed clinical alcohol and drug counselor (LCADC), and approved clinical supervisor (ACS) with over a decade of clinical experience. Christina has focused her career on providing services to underserved populations, especially justice involved individuals. Christina is currently a Clinical Specialist with The College of New Jersey.

Prior to joining TCNJ, Christina held an executive leadership position at University Correctional Health Care (UCHC), where she worked on the planning, implementation strategies, and operations of healthcare delivery for incarcerated persons in 10 state prisons. Christina also acted as the pandemic coordinator for UCHC during the COVID-19 pandemic. She managed the contracts, staffing, and execution of weekly testing for over 15,000 individuals. Christina also collaborated with the Department of Corrections to create statewide vaccinations clinics utilizing the Incident Action Planning process created by FEMA, which were held three times a year until the declared end of the pandemic.

Prior to UCHC, Christina supervised a peer recovery program with University Behavioral Health Care. An innovative program, it appointed peers (persons in recovery or who were formally incarcerated) to provide wellness support planning for individuals diagnosed with opioid use disorder (OUD) or substance use disorder (SUD) prior to release from state prisons, as well as community support for up to one year. Christina helped implement the program and was responsible for administrative direction and clinical oversight.

In addition to her operations experience, Christina is a dedicated clinician. She has provided direct clinical care in an acute partial hospital, receiving specialized training and offering individual sessions, group sessions, and case management. Christina has also provided clinical care via a phone helpline and to county residents incarcerated at a correctional center to provide support during their transition to probation or release. Her diverse background includes serving as an adjunct faculty member in a counseling education graduate program, with a focus on research, as well as 10 years spent as a litigation paralegal, which provided skills that have translated to her current work.

Christina earned a master’s degree in Forensic Mental Health Counseling from John Jay College of Criminal Justice as well as a bachelor’s degree in psychology and an associate degree in criminal justice from St. Francis College. She is pursuing her doctorate at Montclair State University with a dissertation focus on released individuals. Christina is also certified through the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC) as a Correctional Healthcare Professional (CCHP).

Christina is a member of the American Counseling Association, the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision and the American Psychological Association. She is also a board member for a local counseling center which provides Medication Assisted Treatment and counseling services for individuals in recovery.