Margaret Murchan, LCSW
On-Campus Counseling Program Director
margaret@acs-teens.org
650.424.0852 x 102

After receiving a master’s in clinical social work from Smith College and an internship at Yale Child Study Center, Margaret worked in nonprofit agencies and private practice. She has worked locally at Eastfield Ming Quong in Los Gatos as well as Alum Rock Counseling Center and Adult and Child Guidance in San Jose. She has been a clinical supervisor and manager in each of these agencies and is also a clinician in private practice. She comes to ACS as Program Director of the On-Campus Counseling Program, an expanded role and now full-time position coordinating services at 3 middle schools and 4 high schools in the Palo Alto Unified School District and Sequoia Union School District. Margaret enjoys working with parent groups in the community and is available to speak on topics related to the mental health of our teenagers.

Roni J. Gillenson, MFT
Site Director, Gunn High School
roni@acs-teens.org
650.849.7919

Roni holds a master of arts degree in counseling psychology, with an emphasis in feminist psychology, from New College of California, San Francisco. Prior to joining ACS, she worked at Edgewood Center for Children & Families as a therapist and care manager in their Comprehensive Day Treatment Program and at Walden House Adolescent Services, a dual diagnosed residential treatment facility as a therapist providing individual, group and family psychotherapy. Roni is particularly interested in working with adolescents entering into adulthood as well as offering supervision and support to counseling interns. She also is in private practice in San Francisco.

Amoreena Berg
Site Director, Palo Alto High School
amoreena@acs-teens.org
650.833.4244

Amoreena is a licensed marriage and family therapist whose experience includes counseling youth and families by providing individual, group, and family therapy. Before coming to ACS she worked in school based programs and residential settings for over 8 years. When Amoreena is not working as a therapist she spends her time as a professional photographer.

Amy Pillitteri, LCSW
Site Director, Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle School
amy_pillitteri@acs-teens.org
650.856.5164

Amy holds a master's degree in social welfare from University of California at Berkeley and became a licensed social worker in 1996. Prior to joining ACS in 2007, she worked at Alameda County for nine years supervising social work interns, as well as providing crisis assessment for teens and wraparound services for at-risk youth. In addition, Amy has been in private practice conducting in home family therapy, individual therapy in schools, and therapy in the community. She is also the mother of twin preschool girls.

G. Claire Roberts, LCSW
Site Director
claire@acs-teens.org
Jordan Middle School - 650.213.0123
Menlo-Atherton High School - 650.322.5311 x 5186

Claire is a California State Licensed Clinical Social Worker with professional experience spanning several decades. She began her career in England in the 1970's where she completed her master's work at one of Britain's leading graduate programs and has since worked in both hospital and community-based settings in both England and the United States. Claire has worked for Family and Children Services for the past 7 and a half years and has extensive experience working with children of all ages and their families. She has a passion for helping people and loves to motivate them to succeed in whatever goals they set for themselves in therapy. Claire also has a private practice in Palo Alto, and in her spare time loves to spend time with her family, including three teenage children and two dogs, and to travel to foreign countries.

Brenda Stern, RAS, NBAE Certified Addictions Counselor
Program Director
brenda@acs-teens.org
650.329.9410

Brenda brings a long history of advocacy, organizational supervision and non-profit experience to ACS. For over ten years, Brenda has worked with individuals and families, providing life-saving intervention, counseling and support to persons impacted by addiction. Before joining ACS, Brenda was executive director of a licensed residential and outpatient treatment center in San Jose. She is ordained as a non-denominational reverend and is licensed as a spiritual counselor. In her spare time, she facilitates counseling groups with a spiritual approach to recovery. She is a Certified Addictions Counselor through the National Board of Addiction Examiners (NBAE) and a Registered Addictions Specialist (RAS) through the Breining Institute, College for the Advanced Studies of Addictive Disorders. In addition to being the Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment Program Director, Brenda is also available for community education and public speaking engagements dealing with the prevention of alcohol and drug use.