Casey Nowakowski, LCSW

Casey is joining Grove as Director of Admissions, bringing over a decade of clinical experience and a deep understanding of what students and families need during one of life’s most challenging transitions. Her clinical social work background includes work with children, adolescents, and families across inpatient hospital settings, intensive outpatient programs, home-based therapy, schools, and community agencies. This gives her rare insight into the complexities students face and the importance of finding the right fit. Casey approaches admissions with the same compassion and authenticity she brings to clinical work, believing that meaningful connection begins with trust, understanding, and mutual respect. Her goal is to help families find their way to Grove and to ensure that every student admitted is set up for growth and meaningful change.

Casey attended Fordham University for both her undergraduate and graduate degrees, earning her Bachelor of Science in Psychology and graduating as a member of the university’s soccer team. She continued her education at Fordham’s Graduate School of Social Service, where she received her Master’s in Social Work with a clinical concentration. She has extensive training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy and crisis management and was responsible for developing and implementing DBT services in an adolescent intensive outpatient program. Casey holds a certification for Seminar in Field Instruction and has been a dedicated supervisor and mentor to social work students, medical students, psychiatry residents, and nurse practitioner students, teaching psychiatric intervention, group psychotherapy, and DBT principles.

What drives Casey’s work is a passion for education, professional development, and collaboration. She has worked on interdisciplinary teams in clinical settings, always advocating for the kind of integrated, thoughtful approach that helps teens thrive. She brings that same collaborative spirit to her role at Grove, where she will work closely with the leadership team and community to connect families with the support they need.

In her free time, Casey enjoys being outside, traveling, and discovering new restaurants. She especially loves growing vegetables and flowers in her garden, a passion that mirrors her approach to her work: nurturing growth and helping things flourish.