Monika C. Estrada Guzman

Monika C. Estrada Guzman, BSW, LMSW, SIFI (she/her/ella), is a bilingual Maternal and Child Integrated Mental Health behavioral health social worker at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital where she works with prenatal patients to screen for and address behavioral health needs, provide long-term and short-term behavioral health care, and coordinate wrap-around services. She is also a clinician at Sandoval Psychotherapy Consultation, working with clients navigating trauma, anxiety, and parenthood.

Previously, Monika was the founding program director of Nido de Esperanza in Washington Heights/Inwood where she worked with caregivers to effectively address the social and emotional challenges that they face during pregnancy, infancy, and toddlerhood. Providing individualized parenting education of developmental milestones, she assisted her clients to become the parents they wish to be. In all her work, Monika leads with a trauma-informed, two-generation approach empowerment model to foster self-efficacy and resiliency among clients so that they can better cope with stressors related to parenthood, immigration status, and their backgrounds.

Monika brings a unique perspective to social work as a formerly undocumented, bicultural, bilingual Latina. She strives to meet the distinct needs of chronically underserved populations and broaden the profession to make space for social workers from a diversity of backgrounds. She is the education chair of the Latino Social Work Coalition and Scholarship Fund and is a contributing author to Latinx/e in Social Work, Vol. II, an anthology of essays by Latinx/e social workers sharing their personal and professional journeys. Monika’s work and excellence have been recognized with the New York University Silver School of Social Work Outstanding Student Program Award, the National Association of Social Workers NYC Chapter Alex Rosen Award and Aquamarine Award, the Latino Social Work Coalition

Leadership Award, and the Auburn Seminary, Women of Moral Courage Award.