Health & Wellness | Marymount School of New York

The Health and Wellness Department at Marymount seeks to educate our students so that they are healthy and well-adjusted young women. Through education and support, we help our students learn solid coping skills, develop resilience, and engage in good decision-making.

Social and Emotional Learning

Social and emotional learning provides a road map for our students as they navigate childhood and the often bumpy years of adolescence. By teaching our girls about identifying and managing emotions, healthy decision-making, and conflict resolution/effective communication with peers, Marymount fosters the life skills necessary for building solid relationships. Social and emotional learning is associated with decreased interpersonal aggression, improved academic performance and attitudes toward school, and preparedness for success in adulthood.

From Nursery through Class XII, social and emotional learning is taught at age-appropriate levels in the health curriculum. In the younger grades, students focus on building healthy peer relationships, navigating conflict, and being direct and authentic in their communication. In the Upper Mid and Upper Schools, students build a framework for responsible decision-making as they deepen their discussions of social media, alcohol, drugs, dating, friendship, mental health, and identity. The Peer Assistant Leaders (PALs) program provides a teacher-free platform for freshmen to learn from upperclassmen in psychoeducational small groups.

Throughout all divisions, ongoing parent education and collaboration allows for reinforcement of skills learned in school, facilitates open communication between students and their parents, and establishes an ongoing partnership between the school and the parent body.

Health & Wellness Team

List of 9 members.

Rosanna Barbalaco

Wellness Coordinator, Health Educator (VI-XII)
Bio
Rosanna Veltri is the Lower Middle School Counselor. She graduated from Fairfield University with a B.A. in Psychology, and later received her Master's Degree from Fordham University for Counseling. In the LMS, Rosanna provides individual and group counseling to the students and teaches guidance classes. Rosanna is a proud alumna of Marymount and loves that her two wonderful nieces are also currently benefiting from a Marymount education. In her free time, she enjoys cooking and spending time with friends and family.
Courtney Birch

Upper Middle School Counselor
Bio
Courtney Birch is delighted to join the Marymount team as the Upper Middle School Counselor. She is a licensed social worker and worked most recently as the Middle School Counselor at Poly Prep Country Day School. Before obtaining her Master of Social Work (MSW) degree from New York University, Courtney taught music and conducted choruses at The Nightingale-Bamford School and Sidwell Friends School. She has a Master's Degree in Music and a Bachelor's Degree in Russian Studies/Music from The University of Virginia.
Kathy Cosgrove

Director of Student Support Services
Bio
Dr. Kathy Cosgrove is the Director of Health and Wellness and the Psychologist for the Upper School. She graduated from the College of the Holy Cross with a B.A. in Sociology and from Fordham University with a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology. In her role, Dr. Cosgrove provides counseling and crisis management to Upper School students, teaches Class XI guidance, oversees the Upper School mentor program, facilitates the parent education program, consults with parents and faculty, and collaborates on Health and Wellness initiatives for the school community. She is also an alumna of Marymount School.
Lashauna Cutts

Upper School Counselor
Bio
Ms. Lashauna Cutts, LCSW, is the Counselor for the Upper School, where she teaches Guidance and provides individual and group counseling to students to better manage stress, anxiety, depression, sleep, or general health and well-being. Ms. Cutts received a B.A. from Columbia University in Political Science and African-American Studies and an M.S.W. from Smith College School for Social Work. Prior to Marymount, Ms. Cutts spent the last 10 years at the Veteran Affairs Hospital in Connecticut where she provided individual, group, and family psychotherapy to Veterans and their loved ones for effective treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and a host of co-occurring mental health conditions. Ms. Cutts is a native New Yorker and loves returning to her roots and NYC pizza. In her free time, you can find Ms. Cutts attending a karate meet for her son, paced walking while listening to some feel-good music, or dining at a local eatery in support of locally-owned businesses.
Maureen Doheny

School Nurse, Fifth Ave/82nd Street
Bio
Maureen Doheny is a School Nurse covering the 82nd Street and Fifth Avenue campuses. She has been part of the Marymount community since 2011. In addition to caring for students and faculty, she also teaches health classes to Classes VI-VIII. Mrs. Doheny got her B.S. in Nursing at Georgetown University, and previously worked as a pediatric nurse at NYU Medical Center and also as a travel nurse as far away as Hawaii. Mrs. Doheny loves to spend time exploring and playing in the city with her three children and husband.
Caroline Kao

School Nurse, 97th Street
Bio
Caroline Kao is a School Nurse at the 97th Street campus. She has extensive experience as a pediatric nurse practitioner in a primary care practice. Nurse Kao finds great joy in getting to know and establishing rapport and trust with children and their families through her work. She received her BSN at Pennsylvania State University and her MSN at Columbia University. She loves exploring the city with her children and cooking, baking, and trying new foods with them.
Meghan Mackowiak

Chair of Health Services
Bio
Meghan Mackowiak is the school nurse for the Fifth Avenue Campus. Mrs. Mackowiak (or Mrs. Mack) received both her BSN and MSN from Villanova University and brings thirteen years of experience to this position. She also worked as a pediatric nurse practitioner in a busy NYC practice for seven years. She is passionate about child and adolescent development and public health. Mrs. Mack also loves running, hiking, Sudoku puzzles, and spending time with her family.
Andrea Padilla

School Nurse, 82nd Street
Bio
Andrea Padilla is a School Nurse at the 82nd Street Campus and teaches health classes to Classes IV and V. She graduated from Boston College with a B.S.N in Nursing and from Columbia University with her master’s degree in Public Health. Mrs. Padilla came to Marymount after working many years as the Nurse Coordinator for the Orthopedic Trauma Service at The Hospital for Special Surgery. She has been a Marymount parent for twenty years and has a daughter currently enrolled in the School. When she is not running around with her four children, she enjoys her friends, photography, and music.
Samantha Winokur

School Psychologist, N-V
Bio
Dr. Samantha Winokur is the Lower School and Lower Middle School psychologist. She completed her undergraduate degree in psychology at Tulane University and subsequently achieved her doctorate in clinical psychology and certification in school psychology at Widener University. She also completed a postdoctoral fellowship in child and adolescent psychology at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital, Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons. She has over 10 years of experience working in independent schools in addition to maintaining a private practice. In her free time, she enjoys reading, skiing, yoga, and spending time with her family and 12-year-old goldendoodle.