Meeting trauma head on

Alyssa Hofmann Reiner, who grew up in Fair Lawn and lives in Teaneck, is the new director of social work and programming at Jewish Family Service of Central New Jersey, based in Elizabeth.

She started her new job in May, a day after completing her Ph.D. in social work at the University of Pennsylvania. But she already was well acquainted with JFSCNJ. This is where she had her first field placement, in 2015, while earning her master’s degree in social work from Boston University; she also holds another master’s in public administration from Rutgers.

“During my internship at JFSCNJ, I was working with socialization groups, doing outpatient counseling, and helping with Café Europa, one of our social programs for Holocaust survivors, and other initiatives,” Ms. Reiner said.

“Then I stayed on and worked there full time, mostly in the services for Holocaust survivors department. I also became a certified yoga instructor through one of our grants at JFS. When I left to pursue my doctorate, much of my dissertation work was about geriatric trauma and doing yoga with biological children of Holocaust survivors. That grew out of my work at JFS.

“So coming back in this new leadership position is like a dream come true, because the seeds I planted 10 years ago can now come into full fruition.”

Approximately 500 older adults, as well as thousands of individuals and families spanning all ages, religions, and orientations in Union and parts of Somerset County, receive health and social services from the agency each year.

The JFSCNJ’s staff — 11 clinical social workers, four MSW student interns, 60 certified home-health aides, several registered nurses, and other personnel — speak many languages. Along with the home-based services — 140 kosher Meals on Wheels are delivered each weekday — the agency offers mental health counseling, a food pantry, an urban community garden, a Coffee House day program for people with early-stage memory loss, and other services.

Working with the agency’s executive director, Rabbi Russ Shulkes, Dr. Reiner hopes to develop additional approaches to support their diverse clientele.

“Social work is ultimately about connection — helping people feel supported, understood, and empowered during times of challenge and transition,” Dr. Reiner said.

“The ability to bring my interest in trauma, aging, nervous system regulation, mindfulness, and yoga to hands-on service delivery with vulnerable populations is really fulfilling and has helped me come full circle in a lot of ways.”

Dr. Reiner’s particular focus in geriatric trauma care involves polyvagal theory, which posits that the autonomic nervous system’s continuous adjustments in response to difficult experiences go far beyond the fight-or-flight phenomenon.

“Polyvagal theory tries to understand how trauma manifests within the body and how we regulate PTSD symptoms,” she said. “It is essentially the neurophysiology of trauma and safety and how we can be evolved into feeling safe inside our body.”

The intersection of social work, mental health, and accessible wellness will be featured in Dr. Reiner’s upcoming online program for seniors, “Finding Your Calm: Yoga, Mindfulness, and the Anxious Nervous System,” presented through the Orthodox Union’s Spirit program on October 21 from noon to 1 p.m. Participants will learn everyday techniques to support relaxation and nervous system regulation.

As the clinical director of Tiferet of Teaneck, a Jewish “pod school” for girls based on a homeschooling model, Dr. Reiner teaches mindfulness, conflict resolution, and emotional regulation to her 12-year-old daughter’s classmates once a week.

Dr. Reiner and her husband, Benny — he works at a women- and family-centered health-tech company — also have a 16-year-old son on the autism spectrum, who started attending Teaneck High this year, and a daughter in second grade at the Teaneck Charter School.

“I like to stay busy,” she said with a smile. And indeed, she already is busy in her new job.

“A big part of my position at JFS is about maintaining clinical excellence in all our programs,” she said. “My role is to support my social workers and to ensure that the programs we run are the highest quality possible and that we’re constantly improving and meeting our mission.”

Dr. Reiner pointed out that one big advantage of JFS is affordability. “Very few private practices accept insurance, so quality mental health counseling is out of reach for the vast majority of Americans,” she said. “The beauty of what we can provide is that we accept all kinds of insurance and we can offer a sliding scale for payment because of our various grants. We can really serve segments of the community where people are kind of in-between financially.”

One of the programs she’d like to further develop and expand is a variety of free monthly support groups for caregivers. There now are options for caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s/dementia in collaboration with Alzheimer’s NJ; for caregivers of children with disabilities; and for caregivers of adult children with disabilities. Debbie Rosenwein, the agency’s director of Holocaust services, and Maria Mullen, its director of nursing, are spearheading a new series for all types of caregivers through a pilot grant from USAging.

“The other thing that we would really like to expand is our mother-baby programming,” Dr. Reiner said. “Any period of life transition is when the community needs support the most, and so that’s where I think the work really needs to be done.”