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MDT Highlight – Autumn Zerendow

February 10, 2021

The impact and support children and families receive at Children’s Cove is only possible by our partnership and collaboration with committed members of what we call the multidisciplinary team (MDT). They are the professionals who often work behind the scenes, and rarely get the attention or credit they deserve. Most of the time they don’t want it, choosing to work silently and diligently protecting and serving our children.

Autumn Zerendow, M.Ed, LMHC

Director of Adult, Child & Teen Community Based Services and Rape Crisis Program Services at Independence House

Autumn moved to Cape Cod three years ago, after completing a master’s degree program at Cambridge College in Mental Health Counseling. Prior to her role at Independence House, Autumn worked in a variety of settings, including a crisis stabilization unit, a mobile crisis team providing psychiatric evaluations, an adolescent eating disorders unit, and a residential treatment for transitional-aged youth. At Independence House, Autumn provides oversight to their community-based programs, such as the 24-hour hotline and their social media and chat services. She also supervises 12 team members who provide advocacy and counseling.

When asked how she keeps her energy and spirits up in this essential line of work, Autumn cited her belief that every person deserves to live a life free from the experience of domestic and sexual violence. This, she says, is a foundation to her work and drive. “We celebrate the small successes within our work here at Independence House, even during difficult times,” Autumn said. “If a person feels that they are heard and respected by our staff, that is a success. If they show up for counseling and advocacy, which can be a scary thing to do, that is also a success.”

When Autumn is not providing clinical services and oversight as a team member at Independence House, she enjoys photography as a hobby. She learned photography after taking time to travel for an extended period, visiting 6 of the 7 continents.

Autumn’s work in coordinating counseling services for Independence House’s teen, child sexual assault and children exposed to domestic violence programs has been incredibly important in our capacity to provide mental health referrals to the children, teens, and families seen at Children’s Cove. Autumn’s collaboration with our Mental Health Coordinator Kristine Monteiro has been an invaluable part of our ability to connect children and families with these essential services. Autumn also recently joined our CSEC steering committee. Our relationships with mental health providers like Autumn, and the counselors at Independence House, are one part of how we create a community where children are free of abuse, have a voice that is heard, and where they enjoy healthy, safe, and empowered lives.

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MDT Highlight – Leandro De Oliveira

November 17, 2020

The impact and support children and families receive at Children’s Cove is only possible by our partnership and collaboration with committed members of what we call the Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT). They are the professionals who often work behind the scenes, and rarely get the attention or credit they deserve. Most of the time they don’t want it, choosing to work silently and diligently protecting and serving our children.

Leandro De Oliveira

Communications Specialist
Cape Cod Healthcare

Leandro De Oliveira is a Barnstable High School graduate, who moved to Cape Cod in 2001. Leo, as he is called, grew up in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. After years of working in retail, he decided to further his studies in the medical field. Leo initially started as an EMT before becoming a paramedic and earning his medical interpreting certificate for Portuguese/English. This allowed him to help people and make a difference in the Brazilian community on Cape Cod, where these interpreting services are in high demand.

For four years, Leo has worked as an interpreter, helping providers and patients communicate better through the spoken and written word. These services are critical to narrowing the gap in cultural beliefs between different countries and communities. Providing interpreting services in cases involving crimes against children, like those seen at Children’s Cove, is especially crucial.

Leo’s experience of living in the United States and Brazil, his kindness and empathy, and his calming presence has provided a unique support to the families we serve from the Brazilian community. At Children’s Cove, he has demonstrated incredible understanding, compassion and hope for every child and non-offending family member.

Leo is grateful for the opportunities he has had in the United States. “It is a country that gives everyone a chance to better themselves, a chance to become something you may have never dreamed of becoming,” Leo said. He is honored to work with Children’s Cove, and we are incredibly thankful for his warmth, kindness and contributions to the families we serve.

Leandro de Oliveira

Especialista em Comunicação
Cape Cod Healthcare

Leandro De Oliveira se mudou de Belo Horizonte (MG) Brasil para o Cape Cod no ano de 2001. Ele se formou na Barnstable High School e trabalhou muitos anos na área de vendas. Leandro ficou mais conhecido como “Leo”, já que muitos não conseguiam falar seu nome por não ser comum na América do Norte. Leo é grato pelas oportunidades que teve nos Estados Unidos: “É um país que proporciona a todos a chance de melhorar, de se tornar algo que você nunca sonhou em ser”, diz Leo. À procura de uma carreira que ajudaria as pessoas, ele decidiu continuar seus estudos na área da saúde. Leo começou como técnico médico de emergência antes de se tornar um paramédico e logo após, se formou como intérprete médico, permitindo que ele ajudasse as pessoas e fizesse a diferença na Comunidade Brasileira do Cape Cod, onde esses serviços de interpretação são muito procurados.

Leo trabalha como intérprete há quatro anos ajudando profissionais da área da saúde e pacientes a se comunicarem melhor tanto na escrita, quanto na fala. É especialmente crucial utilizar serviços de interpretação em casos que envolvem crimes contra crianças, como os vistos no Children’s Cove. Esses serviços são essenciais para permitir um melhor entendimento das crenças culturais entre diferentes países e comunidades.

O fato de Leo viver nos Estados Unidos e ter morado no Brasil, junto à sua gentileza, empatia e postura tranquila, faz com que ele possa proporcionar um imenso suporte para as famílias da Comunidade Brasileira no Cape Cod. Leo demonstra uma incrível compreensão, compaixão e esperança para todas as crianças e membros de suas famílias no Children’s Cove.

Ele se sente honrado em trabalhar com a Children’s Cove e nós somos extremamente gratos por sua compaixão, gentileza e contribuição para as famílias em que servimos.

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MDT Highlight – Detective Michael G. Zontini

October 19, 2020

The impact and support children and families receive at Children’s Cove is only possible by our partnership and collaboration with committed members of what we call the Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT). They are the professionals who often work behind the scenes, and rarely get the attention or credit they deserve. Most of the time they don’t want it, choosing to work silently and diligently protecting and serving our children.

Detective Michael G. Zontini

High Risk / Special Victims Detective
Yarmouth Police Department (YPD)

Detective Zontini is in his 26th year of law enforcement and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Law Enforcement and a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice Administration. Detective Zontini specializes in investigations involving crimes against children, disabled persons, and adult sexual assaults. Detective Zontini currently serves on the Massachusetts Governor’s Council to address Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence; with a specific focus on the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children and Human Trafficking.

Detective Zontini, a former field training officer and a former member of the Cape Cod Regional Law Enforcement SWAT Team, regularly attends conferences and trainings to stay ahead of the curve in special investigations and responses to special victims. He is also part of the YPD’s Mental Health Outreach Team. In 2019, Detective Zontini was the recipient of the YPD’s Officer of the Year Award.

Detective Zontini’s ability to connect to the survivors he supports is unparalleled. Detective Zontini treats every victim and every situation, as “a privilege and a responsibility to give a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves, or those who are too afraid to speak for themselves.”

Detective Zontini says success for him is “when I can accomplish two specific goals: that our team conducts a victim-centered, trauma-informed investigation that results in the child victim having the best possible physical and emotional outcomes. This extends to the child victim’s caregivers as they have been faced with the unthinkable. Secondly, that the investigation results in the apprehension of the perpetrators of these crimes, who are held accountable during the judicial process so children cannot be victimized again.”

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