Making the World a Better Place - Touro College

In 2008, Staley’s commitment and hard
work had earned him the respect of the
GSSW community. His teachers and fellow
students, recognizing him as “one of the
stars,” elected him valedictorian of the
GSSW’s first graduating class.
“Bobby exemplifies the best of our school.
He makes a difference
every day in his career and
was always held in such
high regard at Touro. He is
the essence of Touro,”
Dean Huberman says.
For Staley’s part, he
says, “Touro was more
than just a school. For a lot
of us, it provided a real
sense of comfort.”
When Staley began his
career with the substance
abuse population, the
issue hit close to home: in
his personal life, he’d had
a problem and sought
treatment. Who better to
help others than someone who has been
through a similar situation? Yet while his own
experience certainly has provided him with
compassion and know-how, Staley also
believes that no one size fits all—an openminded,
curious approach that makes him
especially sensitive. Says Staley, “It’s always
good to leave room for what you don’t know.”
With ACT, Staley is learning more about
the medical model of treating mental illness
and, in particular, psychotropic medications.
“Bobby exemplifies
the best of our
school. He makes a
difference every day
in his career and
was always held in
such high regard at
Touro. He is the
essence of Touro,”
Dean Huberman says.
Daily medication monitoring is an important
part of the treatment plans his team devises.
For Staley, it’s one more lens through which
he can look deeply into any given situation.
“It’s really rewarding,” he says.
When Staley isn’t venturing out to a
doctor’s appointment, sitting with a client in
the local laundromat or
convening the ACT team
for daily strategy
sessions, he works nights
as a therapist in
Manhattan, at The Bridge
Inc.’s new communitybased
mental health
outpatient program.
Looking forward,
Staley would like to have
his own private practice
one day. He’s now in the
process of acquiring the
appropriate credentials.
When he speaks about
the best part of his job
with ACT—assisting
people in finding their own way, and sharing
in their journeys—Staley could easily be
talking about his own life: “Not necessarily
knowing what the end results will be is an
incredibly rewarding experience.”
For now, ACT is grateful to have him.
Says Gilbert, “He is the quintessential
clinician. He makes strides in this work every
day and has contributed so much to our
community. We love and appreciate him
tremendously.” n
20 TOURO LINKS I SPRING 2013