Juvenile Court Clinics

The Juvenile Court Clinic Program provides comprehensive forensic mental health services across six Massachusetts counties: Barnstable, Plymouth, Bristol, Dukes, Essex, and Nantucket. We provide specialized court-ordered mental health and substance use assessments, extended, comprehensive evaluations, and consultations to the juvenile courts. We attempt to connect youth and families to necessary community resources to assist in decreasing a child's further involvement with the juvenile courts.

A person with long blonde hair speaking to a young person with short black hair in a counseling setting
At a Glance
Providing specialized mental health evaluations and consultations to support the Juvenile Courts in Massachusetts, focusing on forensic issues and treatment planning for youth and families involved in legal proceedings.

Age

Children and Adolescents and their families

Gender

All

Referrals

Juvenile Court
Our Approach

The JCCP serves as a vital bridge between the juvenile justice system and available community resources. We work proactively to assist court-involved youth and families in accessing the resources needed to deter further court involvement. Our team provides specialized support throughout legal proceedings related to delinquency cases, Child Requiring Assistance (CRA) matters, care and protection proceedings, and same-day, emergency mental health or civil commitment petitions, and other specialty evaluations as requested by a juvenile court judge.

Our clinicians collaborate closely with court officials, families, and community resources to ensure youth receive appropriate assessments and access to needed services while navigating the juvenile justice system. This integrated approach helps courts make informed decisions that consider both the legal requirements and the mental health and the specialized needs of each young person and family.


Our Services

Operating through contracts with the Massachusetts Trial Court Juvenile Court Department and the Department of Mental Health's Forensic Services Division, we offer:

  • Court-ordered forensic mental health evaluations and substance misuse evaluations for critical legal issues, including:
    • Competency to Stand Trial
    • Diagnostic evals/Biopsychosocial Assessments
    • Criminal Responsibility
    • Aid in Sentencing Evaluations
    • Care and Protection matters
  • Emergency evaluations for civil commitment petitions
  • Treatment planning and referral coordination
  • Consultation with court personnel and collaterals on behavioral health and service needs
Southeastern Massachusetts 
Juvenile Court Clinic Team
Lesley Arruda headshot

Lesley Arruda, LMHC

Juvenile Court Clinician

Lesley Arruda headshot
Lesley holds her Master’s degree in clinical psychology from UMASS Dartmouth and is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC). She joined JRI’s Juvenile Court Clinic Program in 2019 and has been in the New Bedford court since she started. Prior employment included working as a school based clinician in the New Bedford School System. She became a Certified Juvenile Court Clinician (CJCC-I) in 2022.
Jennifer Booth headshot

Jennifer Booth, LICSW

Juvenile Court Clinician

Jennifer Booth headshot
Jennifer started working for JRI’s Southeast Juvenile Court Clinic Program in 2018 at the New Bedford Juvenile Court Clinic. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Providence College and her Master's degree in Social Work from Boston University. Jennifer is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) and a Certified Juvenile Court Clinician I (CJCC I). Outside of court clinic hours, she also has a small private practice in New Bedford.
Maureen Caflisch headshot

Maureen Caflisch, LICSW

Juvenile Court Clinician

Maureen Caflisch headshot
Maureen Caflisch is a Juvenile Court Clinician at The Fall River Trial Court. She earned her undergraduate degree in Psychology and English from The University of Massachusetts - Boston in 1986 and her Masters of Social Work Degree from Rhode Island College in 2006. Maureen began her tenure at The Fall River JCC in September 2006 and also served in the exciting role of Specialty Court Clinician for the Bristol County Drug Treatment Court from June 2015 to June 2018. Maureen helps to supervise Master’s level interns from Roger Williams University, and is trained in conducting specialty Care and Protection evaluations for the courts. When not at the Juvenile Court Clinic, Maureen spends most Saturday mornings providing individual and family therapy for a local community mental health agency where she specializes in trauma-informed care.
Cynthia Corbett headshot

Cynthia Corbett, LICSW

Juvenile Court Clinician

Cynthia Corbett headshot
Cynthia Corbett, LICSW, is a Certified Juvenile Court Clinician I who has been providing Court Clinic Services in the Fall River Juvenile Court Clinic since May 2000. She has a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Rhode Island where she majored in Psychology with a Minor in Women’s Studies. She later received her Masters of Social Work Degree from Rhode Island College. Cynthia was part of the Bristol County Drug Treatment Court team for the full three years it was operational. Additionally, she provides Risk/Needs Evaluations for youth who are adjudicated of sexual offences, participates in Bristol County’s Juvenile Diversion Alternatives Initiative (JDAI), and assists in supervising Master’s level interns from Roger Williams University.
Andrea Cruz headshot

Andrea Cruz, LICSW, QSW

Juvenile Court Clinician

Andrea Cruz headshot
After obtaining her Master’s Degree in Social Work from Boston University in 2004 and her credentialing as a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) in 2008, Andrea M. Cruz has enjoyed working as a Juvenile Court Clinician since 2008. In her time at JRI, Andrea has worked in Barnstable and Bristol Counties. Primarily based at the Taunton Juvenile Court Clinic, Andrea meets with youth and families who are court-ordered to participate in various evaluation types, including same-day brief screening evaluations, comprehensive biopsychosocial assessments, emergency substance misuse or mental health evaluations, or consultations. In addition to becoming a Certified Juvenile Court Clinician, Andrea completed the training requirements to become a Qualified Social Worker (QSW) in 2020, which statutorily allows her to conduct s.—35 evaluations for the southeastern juvenile courts. Andrea is also part of the statewide Care & Protection workgroup facilitated by the Department of Mental Health, allowing her to complete C&P-specific referrals ordered by the Court.
Rebecca Harrington headshot

Rebecca Harrington, LICSW, QSW

Program Director

Rebecca Harrington headshot
Rebecca Harrington earned her BA in psychology, with a minor in sociology at the State University of New York, College at Buffalo before earning her MSW from Boston University in 1996. Her career includes working with children, adolescents and families in residential treatment facilities, outpatient clinics, and DYS residential homes. She was the Clinic Director for Catholic Charities in Brockton, MA before beginning her career with the SE Juvenile Court Clinic Program through JRI in 2001. Working mostly in Brockton, she developed lasting working relationships with court personnel and community agencies. After becoming a Certified Juvenile Court Clinician I, she was one of the first Qualified Social Workers appointed by the state and DMH to conduct Section 35 (substance misuse) commitment evaluations for the court. In 2021, Rebecca transitioned to the Program Director role, collaborating with the other Juvenile Court Clinic Program Directors across the state, participating in statewide initiatives and programming (including Care and Protections evaluations, the Certified Juvenile Court Clinician credentialing panel, and the Massachusetts Alliance for Juvenile Court Clinics – MAJCC) and overseeing the student intern program for the SE Juvenile Court Clinics.
Brian Johnston headshot

Brian Johnston, LICSW

Juvenile Court Clinician

Brian Johnston headshot
Brian Johnston’s career in social services began in 1998 as an administrative assistant for the Visiting Nurses' Association of RI. He worked in similar roles at Roger Williams Medical Center, Memorial Hospital of RI, and Women & Infants' Hospital of RI-Department of Pediatrics. Brian graduated from the Boston University School of Social Work in 2008 and has worked at the Brockton Juvenile Resource Center (4 years), DYS (4 years at Howland Detention Services Center and Goss-4 Revocation Unit), and 9 years at JRI’s Integrated Clinical Services in Warwick, RI, serving ages 5-78. His specialties include the treatment of pediatric and adolescent populations, with extensive experience in treating developmentally and intellectually disabled persons, especially those with histories of sexual offending and fire-setting. Brian joined the SE Juvenile Court Clinic team, primarily in Brockton in November of 2023, focusing full-time on serving children, juveniles and their families.
Michelle Lockwood headshot

Michelle Lockwood, Psy.D., M.S.

Clinical Director

Michelle Lockwood headshot
Dr. Michelle Lockwood was educated at Brown University (Bachelor of Science in Psychology) and William James College (Doctorate in Clinical Psychology and postdoctoral Master of Science in Clinical Psychopharmacology). She trained and worked in sites specializing in the assessment and treatment of trauma, emergency mental health services, community emergency response, and child protective concerns. After a pre-doctoral training year in the Middlesex County’s juvenile, district, and probate courts, Michelle remained working in the Middlesex County juvenile court clinics. She joined the southeast area juvenile court clinic program and JRI in 2004, becoming the Clinical Director in 2015. Michelle is certified as a Mentor for master and doctoral level juvenile court clinicians and is involved in multiple statewide groups and initiatives in juvenile and adult forensics. Michelle is a member of the Department of Mental Health’s Child and Adolescent Forensic Team, providing inpatient forensic evaluations and serving as the statewide Senior Forensic Reviewer for adolescent Independent Forensic Risk Assessments. She provides risk/needs consultations to the Department of Mental Health, is a member of the newly formed DMH Community Risk Mitigation Team, provides per diem work in the adult court clinics, and has a private forensic practice with a special interest in evaluations of youth and transitional age youth initially incarcerated without the possibility of parole. Michelle was the recipient of the 2023 Juvenile Court Clinician Distinguished Services Award presented by the Department of Mental Health.
Donna Lucas headshot

Donna Lucas, LMHC

Juvenile Court Clinician

Donna Lucas headshot
Donna Lucas graduated from Assumption College with a Master's in Counseling Psychology and subsequently earned her LMHC. She joined the JRI Juvenile Court Clinic program in 2007, and in 2015, she became a certified juvenile court clinician 1 (CJCC1). Prior to joining JRI, Donna worked for the Department of Youth Services for several years as a clinician in both short term and long term treatment units and later as the Clinical Director on the detention unit in Boston.
Janelle Mason headshot

Janelle Mason, Ph.D.

Juvenile Court Clinician

Janelle Mason headshot
Dr. Janelle Mason was educated at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill (Bachelor of Arts in Psychology), graduating with Distinction. She has a Master of Arts in Clinical/Community Psychology from Norfolk State University. Working as a Masters level clinician, she provided individual therapy, Batterer’s Intervention classes, and home investigation services for local social service agencies at the nonprofit United Way agency, Family Services of Tidewater. She was also an adjunct professor in psychology at Tidewater Community College for 10 years. She obtained a Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology, with concentrations in Neuropsychology and Forensic Psychology from Fielding Graduate University. She completed an APA-accredited internship in Child/Adolescent Clinical Neuropsychology and Forensic Evaluation from Eastern Virginia Medical School. Dr. Mason obtained her postdoctoral residency hours in Eastern Virginia Medical School’s Neuropsychology Center. In private practice as a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in the Commonwealth of Virginia, she provided comprehensive psychological clinical evaluations for children, adolescents, and adults. She also performed forensic assessments to assist courts in answering questions regarding Parental Capacity and General Psychological Functioning for children, adolescents, and adults. She has specialized training in juvenile forensic assessment from the University of Virginia’s Institute of Law, Psychiatry and Public Policy. As a licensed psychologist in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Dr. Mason joined the Southeast Area Juvenile Court Clinic Program and JRI in 2021. There, as a Certified Juvenile Court Clinician I and II, she conducts statutory evaluations ordered by the Court including Criminal Responsibility, Competence to Stand Trial, Section 35 Commitment Evaluations, and Section 12 Commitment Evaluations. She has specialized training in Care and Protection Evaluations.
Kim Mortimer headshot

Kimberly Mortimer, MS, LMHC

Juvenile Court Clinician

Kim Mortimer headshot
Kimberly Mortimer, MS, LMHC, CJCC-I, earned her Master’s Degree from Central Connecticut State University with a concentration in Marriage and Family Therapy. Following employment in residential substance treatment and inpatient psychiatric settings, Kimberly joined JRI’s Court Clinic Program in the Brockton office. In 2003, Kimberly earned her certification as a Juvenile Court Clinician-I, being in the first class of the new Department of Mental Health and UMASS Psychology and Forensic Services joint program. Except for a few years off to care for her family, Kimberly has remained a part of the JCC program working in a multitude of the courts serviced by the Southeast area program. She specializes in evaluations of juveniles with problematic sexual behaviors. In addition, Kimberly is a CPCS vendor conducting psychosocial evaluations, parole planning, and mitigation evaluations.
AnnMarie Papandrea headshot

AnnMarie Papandrea, LICSW, QSW

Juvenile Court Clinician

AnnMarie Papandrea headshot
Anne Marie Papandrea, LICSW, QSW, CJCC-II is a certified Juvenile Court Clinician in the Plymouth and Wareham Juvenile Courts. A graduate of Smith College and the Smith School for Social Work, she began her social work career at the Massachusetts Treatment Center, a correctional facility in Bridgewater, providing treatment to adult male sex offenders. At the time, JRI held the treatment program contract. In 1999, she transferred to JRI's Juvenile Court Clinic program, serving the Brockton and Hingham Juvenile Courts. After a break to stay home with her children, she returned to the Juvenile Court Clinic program in 2009. Anne Marie specializes in evaluations of juveniles who have committed sexual offenses and, as a Qualified Social Worker, conducts evaluations for emergency involuntary commitment for substance abuse treatment under the MGL, Chapter 123, Section 35 statute.
Lara Rubenstein headshot

Lara Rubenstein, Psy.D.

Juvenile Court Clinician

Lara Rubenstein headshot
Lara Rubinstein, Psy.D., CJCC I and II is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Certified Juvenile Court Clinician who conducts evaluations in Plymouth, Bristol, and Barnstable Counties. Dr. Rubinstein earned her B.A. in psychology from Boston University followed by her Psy.D. in clinical psychology from William James College. She completed an APA-accredited internship with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections followed by a post-doctoral fellowship with the Center of Excellence for Children, Families, and the Law at William James College which included a certification in Juvenile and Family Forensic Practice. Since joining Justice Resource Institute’s Southeast Juvenile Court Clinic Program in 2015, Dr. Rubinstein has conducted statutory evaluations ordered by the Court including Criminal Responsibility, Competence to Stand Trial, Section 35 Commitment Evaluations, and Section 12 Commitment Evaluations. Dr. Rubinstein also received specialized training to conduct Juveniles Charged with Sex Offenses Risk Assessments as well as Care and Protection Evaluations. Dr. Rubinstein currently serves on the statewide committee to credential new court clinicians.
Meghan Silvia headshot

Meghan Silvia, Psy.D.

Juvenile Court Clinician

Meghan Silvia headshot
Dr. Silvia is a licensed psychologist who graduated from William James College, where she received her Doctorate of Psychology (Psy.D.) in Clinical Psychology. She completed her APA-accredited internship with the Child and Family Forensic Evaluation Services (CAFFES) in Newton, MA, and JRI’s Southeast Juvenile Court Clinic Program. She earned her Master of Arts (MA) degree in Professional Psychology from William James College and her Bachelor of Arts (BA) degrees in Psychology and Crime and Justice Studies from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. Dr. Silvia joined the Southeast Juvenile Court Clinic full-time in September 2023 after completing her internship with them.
Lisa Smith headshot

Lisa Smith

Administrative Assistant

Lisa Smith headshot
Lisa Smith is the Administrative Assistant for the SE Juvenile Court Clinic. She has been employed with JRI for 12 years and her career in administrative roles is greater than 25 years. Her responsibilities include facilitating human resource functions for the program, collecting, coordinating, and reporting regional statistical data as required by the state, and proficiently supporting the doctors and clinicians staffing the thirteen Juvenile Courts across three counties. Lisa is the recipient of the 2024 Forensic Services Appreciation Award for her “outstanding performance and significant contributions toward the good will of, cooperation with and assistance to the Forensic Service Clinicians.”
Jaclyn Stergis Cox headshot

Jaclyn Stergis-Cox, LICSW

Juvenile Court Clinician

Jaclyn Stergis Cox headshot
Jaclyn Stergis Cox, is a juvenile court clinician at the Barnstable Juvenile Court. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Merrimack College in 2018 and her Master’s in Social Work from Simmons University in 2020. Jaclyn has worked at Justice Resource Institute since 2018, with her first clinical internship in the Total Achievement Program. She remained at TAP for five years, climbing the ranks from intern, to therapeutic counselor, to program clinician. Since 2022, Jaclyn has also worked part time at the Sandwich Police Department, as a clinician. She has always been interested in the law and the role juvenile court clinician is a perfect mesh of her two interests, social work and law.
Essex County Juvenile 
Court Clinic Team
Kristine Latour Kennedy headshot

Kris Latour Kennedy, LICSW

Program Director
Caroline Avitabile headshot

Caroline Avitabile, Psy. D.

Juvenile Court Clinician
Andrea Brown headshot

Andrea Brown, LICSW

Juvenile Court Clinician
Colleen McMillan headshot

Colleen McMillan, Psy. D.

Juvenile Court Clinician
Kathleen McCollum headshot

Kathleen McMillan, Psy. D.

Juvenile Court Clinician
Kristan Mazaka headshot

Kristan Mazaka, LICSW

Juvenile Court Clinician
Frequently Asked Questions
Referral Information

Referrals for the Juvenile Court Clinics come directly from court personnel.

Let's Connect

Rebecca Harrington, LICSW, CJCC I, QSW

Program Director

(508) 728-1428

[email protected]

99 South Main Street Suite 301, Fall River, MA 02720

Kris Latour Kennedy, LICSW

Program Director

(781) 309-6080

[email protected]

Lynn Juvenile Court Lynn, MA 01901

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For assistance determining which programs or services will meet your needs, please fill out the form below. Our service navigator will reach out by phone, text, or email. If you have a question regarding a particular program, please contact the program director listed above.

Please note that this form is not HIPAA-compliant. We urge you not to include protected health information.

Request More Information

For assistance determining which programs or services will meet your individualized need, please fill out the form below. Our Service Navigator will reach out to you about your inquiry via phone, text, or email. If you have a question regarding a particular program, please contact the Program Director listed in the “Let’s Connect” box above. 

Please note that this form is not HIPAA compliant.  We urge you not to include protected health information.

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Request More Information
Request More 
Information

For assistance determining which programs or services will meet your needs, please fill out the form below. Our service navigator will reach out by phone, text, or email. If you have a question regarding a particular program, please contact the program director listed above.

Please note that this form is not HIPAA-compliant. We urge you not to include protected health information.

Request More Information

For assistance determining which programs or services will meet your individualized need, please fill out the form below. Our Service Navigator will reach out to you about your inquiry via phone, text, or email. If you have a question regarding a particular program, please contact the Program Director listed in the “Let’s Connect” box above. 

Please note that this form is not HIPAA compliant.  We urge you not to include protected health information.

What is your preferred method of communication?


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