Taylor Belluardo

Taylor Belluardo, LCSW, brings over a decade of specialized experience in suicide prevention, violence prevention, and youth mental health services to Verve's technical assistance and training team. Taylor holds a Master of Social Work and is a Licensed Certified Social Worker in Massachusetts, with advanced training in Trauma-Informed Care, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), addiction studies, co-occurring disorders, and de-escalation. She currently serves as an Adjunct Professor at Westfield State University, where she teaches undergraduate social work courses covering generalist practice models, ethics, human behavior and the social environment, and evidence-based interventions. 

As a Clinical Intern at the Department of Youth Services' Westfield Youth Service Center (2024–2025), Taylor provided direct suicide and violence prevention services to incarcerated male youth ages 13–21 in a secure residential facility; working with one of the highest-risk populations in the field, including individuals from underserved communities with extensive trauma exposure, elevated suicide risk, and histories of violence. Her responsibilities included conducting individual suicide and violence risk assessments using evidence-based protocols, managing high-watch monitoring for youth at elevated risk of self-harm, providing ongoing suicide awareness education, and facilitating DBT-informed group programming focused on emotion regulation, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and impulse control. Taylor also designed and delivered structured, skills-based interventions aimed at reducing suicidal and violent ideation while increasing help-seeking behaviors and conducted individual safety planning sessions with youth experiencing suicidal ideation or violent thoughts. 

Taylor's ability to translate complex clinical concepts into accessible, age-appropriate language and practical coping strategies; combined with her experience adapting evidence-based interventions across varying developmental levels, cognitive functioning, and learning styles; makes her exceptionally well-suited to deliver effective, school-based suicide and violence prevention programming to diverse student populations.