Senior Lecturer

Lorraine Mary Pirro

Lorraine Mary Pirro, LCSW, serves persons living with chronic conditions including HIV/AIDS, current or previous substance use, trauma, and mental illness. She provides psychotherapy to individuals, couples, and families using harm reduction counseling, motivational interviewing, psychodynamic psychotherapy, and cognitive and dialectical behavioral therapy.

Working with a NYC HIV/AIDS services organization, Ms. Pirro created and implemented a mental health counseling program under a federal Ryan White Mental Health grant. This program provided more than seven thousand hours of individual and couples’ psychotherapy. Her clinical experience includes college mental health counseling; supportive housing services for mentally ill adults including service planning and delivery, utilization reviews, counseling, and restorative services; and crisis intervention and trauma counseling for adult patients and their families at a New York City Level I trauma hospital.

From 1983-2000 Ms. Pirro worked at a Fortune 100 company directing corporate policy initiatives and leading cross-organizational teams nationally and internationally. She consulted for corporate and non-profit organizations, and trained social service providers to advocate for and treat individuals with multi-layered vulnerabilities. Her trainings covered trauma, resilience, and recovery; LGBT-friendly psychotherapy; harm reduction psychotherapy; body image development; organizational development; teamwork; and burnout prevention. Ms. Pirro holds a BA in psychology from Vassar College, an MA in Educational Theatre from New York University, and an MSW in Advanced Clinical Practice from the Columbia School of Social Work.