Michelle Felder
Michelle Felder is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and has been working with children and families in a variety of therapeutic settings since 2004. She is currently the Director of Elementary School Social Work at Community Roots Charter School in Brooklyn, New York, a Roots ConnectED learning site, and has been a part of their social work team since 2010. In addition to providing individual and small group counseling to students, Michelle supervises social work master's students, facilitates family workshops, collaborates with teachers to design effective behavioral interventions, and teaches students self-regulation and emotional management skills using the whole-class program called The Zones of Regulation. Michelle is dedicated to fostering children’s social and emotional development and supporting families; an appreciation of each person’s unique qualities and strengths is the bedrock of her work. She is one of the founding members of the Anti-Bias Education Collective (ABC) and spent 5 years supporting its mission and facilitating anti-bias education workshops for staff and families. Michelle believes that schools should strive to create inclusive environments that nurture a child's confidence in their personal and social identities, and is committed to working with students, families and educators to improve their capacity to address bias and gain a deeper understanding of the hurt it causes; she joins the Roots ConnectED team to support this work nationwide. Michelle is also the founder of Parenting Pathfinders , a consultation service that provides parents and caregivers with online support that addresses challenges from a mindful and strengths-based perspective. She holds a MA in Social Work from New York University and a MA in Child Development from Sarah Lawrence College.