About The Staff

Welcome to my practice information site. My name is Leslie Scott and I was raised in a community in Alton, Illinois referred to as "Mexico". It was the kind of community that everyone knew everyone and by the time I got home my parents knew if I'd done anything that I shouldn't have. There was a lot of love in Mexico, yet there was a lot of pain due to various socioeconomic issues. Having an awareness of these issues at a young age is what motivated me to go into the field of social work. My desire was and will always be that of an agent of change within my community.

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I founded the Community Cuts Reading program which involved neighborhood barber and beauty salons promoting literacy by providing reading nooks for children while they wait for services and incentives for reaching reading goals.

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One of my greatest success stories was coordinating with the Housing Authority and the public transportation system to transport 2 bus loads of at-risk students from two local housing projects on a fieldtrip to Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville, Illinois. The Black Student Association toured the students around campus. The youth were able to see classrooms, dorms, and a mini step show on the yard. The sisters of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc provided lunch for the youth; while the brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity covered the fees for the students to bowl during their visit. The sweetest part of the story is when I have experienced young men and women 10-15 years later share that it was that event that motivated them to want to go to college or venture to other places outside of the small city in which they lived.

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I was the first VP of the SIUE School Of Social Work Black Student’s Association. I was the first VP of the Alton High School Black Alumni Association. I have been a Community Partner with A.C.E.S. 4 Youth, Community Partner with the Alton School District serving on the Superintendent’s Parent’s Advisory Board, the Board of Advisor’s for the Riverbender Community Youth Center, and a former Board Member of the YWCA of Alton.

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I was the Scholarship Coordinator for the Josephine Marley Beckwith Future Leader Award via the YWCA of Alton for four years. The scholarship supported a four-year renewable scholarship to young female students that have shown leadership, diversity, and humanitarian services.

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I have provided a variety of services to woman and young girls in the community. I was Co-Leader for the Southern Illinois Girl Scout Troop 1208. During my Scouting days I received a regional award for bravery to step out of my comfort zone and “camp like a girl”. I was Youth Advisor for the National Council of Negro Women and received the President’s Award for mentor services to young girls and NCNW Debutantes.

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I contribute directly to the mission of empowering women through education and discussion of issues pertaining to them. I am the Founder and Facilitator for the Woman II Woman Potluck Discussion Series. Woman II Woman originated from a small group meeting of young mothers that I mentored out of my home on a variety of woman’s issues, i.e., health, relationships, sex, parenting, finances, etc. The group sessions grew so that I had to move the groups from my home to a local meeting place. Women attending the group spanned from their late teens to late 60’s and encompassed a diversity of socio-economic backgrounds and ethnicities.

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Professional highlights of my 25 plus years of mental health service include the provision of behavioral health services to Afghanistan Refugee children and families during Operation Welcome Home  (OAW) in 2021-2022, clinical staff supervisor for the Healthcare for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) program, Homeless Patient Aligned Care Team (H-PACT) social worker for the St. Louis Department of Veterans Affairs, Director of Counseling Services at Gateway180 Homelessness Reversed, Child and Adolescent Therapist at OSF St. Anthony's Hospital Outpatient Services, and a senior level Certified Employee Assistance (C-EAP) Consultant at Magellan Health Services.

 

I understand that being vulnerable and talking about your life is a big step. Now that I have shared my life with you, I pray that you are comfortable sharing your life with me.

 

- Leslie Scott, LCSW

Aka, The Esteem Counselor

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