Christine Ditrano, PsyD is the assistant director of special education for Rockland County BOCES, where she has worked since 1998. Previously, she has worked as a school psychologist, school principal, and clinical psychologist in private practice. She works with students who demonstrate significant behavioral and emotional deficits. She reconfigured an educational program in a psychiatric hospital to treat the mental health of hospitalized children. In her role as principal of a K-8 school, Dr. Ditrano designed a state-of-the-art program for children exhibiting special needs and trauma to enhance their functioning. This included incorporation of mindfulness practices, positivism, and evidence-based pedagogy into the individual education and intervention plan. She has been instrumental in the successful launch and growth of several BOCES programs, including the BOCES Family Resource Center and Partnership for Safe Youth.
She is the recipient of multiple honors, including the Award of Excellence in Pupil Personnel Services for her clinical work with students, the Award for Outstanding Achievement from the Advanced Child Assessment Society, the Building Community and Going Beyond the Call of Duty award from the Martin Luther King Center, and a Certification of Recognition for Outstanding Service to Rockland BOCES.
Her published research includes giving a voice to parents in the educational intervention for their children. Ditrano is the author of the laminated guides FBA (Functional Behavioral Assessments) and BIP (Behavioral Intervention Plans), PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports), and Mental Health: A Parent's Guide, available in English and Spanish for parents of elementary and secondary students.
