144 Millennium - A Marquis Who’s Who Magazine SOCIAL WORK, PUBLIC SERVICE, NONPROFIT AND HUMANITIES JANET SIRY LICENSED CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKER, PSYCHOTHERAPIST Lutheran Counseling Center Sound Beach, NY Janet Siry has been helping people for more than 50 years. Drawn to social work from an early age, she believes a higher calling has guided her throughout her journey. She has collaborated with people through her work in schools, religious centers and nonprofit organizations. As a sustaining source of comfort and support in the community, she is a visible and trusted face for those in need. Ms. Siry is a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist with the Lutheran Counseling Center in New York, a role she has held since 2002. Now partially retired and working part-time three days per week, she facilitates support groups and provides emotional support and guidance in both group and individual settings. She also collaborates with community organizations to strengthen survivor assistance programs and initiates psychoeducational workshops. Though she initially considered social work as a career in high school and college, Ms. Siry’s parents discouraged her from pursuing it out of concern for her safety. She chose elementary education instead and worked as a nursery school teacher at Trinity Lutheran. However, through this experience, she recognized that while she could support children as a teacher, she could have a greater impact on families with formal clinical training. A turning point came after 9/11, when she learned to trust her abilities as a psychotherapist. Ms. Siry saw that families needed deeper support, so she drew on values instilled in her from years of volunteerism and an upbringing centered on inclusivity. While working, she returned to college to earn a master’s degree in social work from Fordham University. She also completed internships at Pilgrim Psychiatric Center and Hope House Ministries, which expanded her understanding of the next levels of care people need. Ms. Siry transitioned to a role as a resident counselor with the North Shore Youth Council, where she helped develop youth programs addressing behavioral health and family dynamics. She later served as a counselor at a local high school, providing crisis intervention and direct support to students navigating both academic and personal challenges. Such
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