(Posted 2023 August)
Meet Andrea!
Position: Program Manager for the Crisis Response Services Team, Domestic and Sexual Violence Services, Fairfax County Department of Family Services
I’ve been with the county for five years. I started this new position a month ago. Prior to this position I was the ADAPT (Anger and Domestic Abuse Prevention and Treatment) supervisor, where I supervised four clinicians, and part of my job was to make sure ADAPT is following good standards as it is a certified batterer intervention program. At the forefront of ADAPT services is survivor safety, so as a supervisor I made sure we were providing a coordinated community response. I coordinated meetings with Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court, and with other partners with a focus on batterer intervention programs in the Northern Virginia area.
My professional background is mental health; and I have been working in this field for over 15 years. I was psychologist in Brazil. When I moved to the U.S. I completed a masters in counseling, and I have been working with families and individuals--mostly people who have experienced trauma. One of the things that is common with people experiencing trauma is that they have been witness to or they have experienced domestic violence, and that is part of my interest in this field.
Helping should be my middle name. The most rewarding aspect of my job is working with people and helping people. I absolutely love the work we do with domestic violence, but also I love developing staff. It’s a passion for me, seeing my staff growing and thriving and seeing the community thriving.
It’s all about the mission, vision, and values. I decided to work for the Department of Family Services as the values of the department align with my own values. I completed my internship in the field of domestic violence and ever since I have had an interest in doing this work. I applied for a job with Domestic and Sexual Violence Services, and I absolutely love working for DFS--not just because of our values, but also the mission of having a thriving community as a Fairfax County resident. That is really important for me.
People should work for DFS because of the opportunities. I’ve had many opportunities to grow in the five years I’ve been here.
Fly me to the moon! My hobbies are traveling and reading. If I cannot physically travel, I’ll be at least traveling through my books.
Family and food are my love languages. The way I relax away from work is spending time with my family. My favorite part of my day is to come home and build little houses for little animals with my daughter.
A fun fact about me is that I love cooking. I learned cooking with my grandmother. The way my grandmother provided recipes was “measure everything with your heart.” So, her recipes were, like, “put 2 or 3 eggs.” And I remember laughing with her and saying, “What kind of measurement is that?” And now I do the same thing. I love cooking; I make delicious things. But if people ask me for a recipe, I just laugh because everything is measured with the heart. And I could not tell you how to do a recipe twice!
Get to know more about Andrea through this video spotlight.
Join our team to discover why I enjoy working with DFS so much.