Welcoming Our Team of Subject Matter Experts

Beth Jerskey, PhD - Alla Prokhovnik, PhD - Elena Savoia, MD, MPH - Emma Cardeli, PhD - Lyla Schwartz, MSW

There’s no single path into extremism—and no single path out. Each case calls for a tailored approach, built on the strongest knowledge and practices available. By adding more specialists to our team, we ensure every family receives the right balance of compassion, expertise, and practical support. This extra layer of guidance makes our interventions more effective and our team better equipped to help families find safety, healing, and hope.

With support from the Department of Homeland Security’s Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention (TVTP) 2023 and 2024 grants, Parents for Peace has welcomed six Subject Matter Experts to our team. Their contributions are helping us deepen our knowledge, refine our protocols, and enhance the way we serve families in need—ensuring every intervention is grounded in the most current, research-driven practices.

Interventions

The following specialists in neurological, psychological, and developmental disorders will assist with cases, offer expertise in sessions, and share recommendations during consultations—strengthening our services and enhancing our ability to support families in crisis.

• Alla Prokhovnik, PhD

  Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of the United NGO Coordination Effort and Founder/Director of Nurturing Roots Psychology.

  Focus: supporting cases where a substance use disorder is present.

  
  

• Beth Jerskey, PhD

  Director of Training, Research, and Professional Development and Director of Autism Spectrum Disorder Services at the Boston Child Study Center.

Focus: assisting with cases involving Autistic individuals.

• Lyla Schwartz, PhD Candidate, MSW

  Clinical Supervisor at the Neurodiversity Support Network Switzerland and Program & Psychology Director at the Peace of Mind Association.

  Focus: advising on cases involving adolescents, reintegration from extremist movements, and collaboration with the justice system.

Protocols

To ensure our practices are evidence-based and effective, we have engaged the following public health expert to review our protocols:

• Elena Savoia, MD, MPH 

  Principal Research Scientist, Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. 

  Focus: reviewing our intake, intervention, care coordination, and off-ramping protocols, and recommending improvements aligned with best practices in countering violent extremism (CVE) organizations.

Assessment & Care Coordination

We are also enhancing our ability to screen and assess risk and needs with precision and care with the help of:

• Emma Cardeli, PhD 

  Associate Director of Clinical Services, Massachusetts Area Prevention Program, Boston Children’s Hospital. Developer of the Targeted Violence and Terrorism Strengths, Needs, and Risks: Assessment & Management Tool (T-SAM). 

  Focus: training our team on components of the T-SAM framework and helping us apply the right screening/assessment tools to strengthen our intervention

Every insight they share reinforces what we’ve always known: it takes a village of dedicated, informed people to guide families from crisis toward safety, healing, and hope.