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Our Clinical Team
Trusted Care.
Here for You.

Our team is a carefully selected group of thoroughly vetted providers who have joined Valera because they are dedicated  to providing you with high quality care. We pride ourselves on having a provider team that mirrors our diverse patient population.

We’re here to support you and we can’t wait to get started.

John L. Bennett, MSW, LCSW
Senior Clinical Director
John L. Bennett, MSW, LCSW

John L. Bennett, MSW, LCSW is a clinical social worker with over 20 years of experience in counseling and mental health services administration. He was formerly the clinical director of the nation’s largest LGBTQ outpatient mental health program. His treatment interests include PTSD, chronic trauma, LGBTQ-affirmative psychotherapy, and suicide risk prevention. He has published and presented nationally on LGBT mental health, preventing deaths of despair/suicide among middle-age and older men, and post-hospital mental health follow-up. He is a certified trainer in Dialogic Family Therapy and Assessing and Managing Suicide Risk.

Jason Lulejian, D.O.
Associate Medical Director
Jason Lulejian, D.O.

Dr. Lulejian received his medical training at COMP-NW in Lebanon Oregon, and went on to complete his general psychiatry residency at SUNY Upstate Medical University. He came to Valera from Carelon, a division of Elevance, where he managed a medicaid HARP plan as well as large commercial plans. There he focused his efforts on population health management and innovative ways to cooperate with providers to form symbiotic partnerships. He is board certified in general psychiatry and Addiction medicine, with his clinical focus on the study of trauma disorders and addiction. His focus at Valera is on development of new programs that synergistically improve quality, provider satisfaction and drive the organization toward excellence.

Melissa Goodemote, PMHNP-BC
Associate Clinical Director of Nursing
Melissa Goodemote, PMHNP-BC

Melissa is a Board Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner with a post-Master’s Degree in Psychiatry from Sage Graduate School. She has 18 years experience serving various populations including the serious mentally ill population in intensive outpatient, outpatient clinics, homeless shelters, non profit outpatient agencies, nursing homes and private practice providing psychiatric assessments, consultations, medication management with brief psychotherapy. Her leadership approach to both staff and patient care includes forming a partner relationship . identifying each individual’s personal goals and making decisions together on the best approach for staff and treatment options for patients to meet those goals.

Victoria Abruzzo, LCSW
Clinical Director
Victoria Abruzzo, LCSW

Victoria provides individual and family therapy to children and adults, specializing in mood and anxiety disorders, difficult interpersonal relationships, chronic illness, and trauma. Victoria has experience in play therapy, mindfulness, psychodynamic therapy, and evidence-based therapies. Victoria provides a safe space for all and uses a strengths based and trauma informed approach. Victoria is committed to provide a non judgmental space where together we can explore your feelings, supports, goals, and stressors.

Nawras Shukair, MD
Senior Psychiatrist, MA
Nawras Shukair, MD

Dr. Shukair received his MD from Damascus University, Syria. He completed General Psychiatry Training Program with psychoanalytic training at the University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas. Dr. Shukair completed a Child and Adolescents Psychiatry training in Children’s Hospital of Boston, Harvard University. Dr. Shukair‘s current work focuses on attachment, ADHD and the interaction between executive functions and mental wellness.

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134 N 4th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11249

If this is a life-threatening emergency, please call 911
or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988
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