Barbara Raffel - 30 Years of Counseling

Mrs. Barbara Raffel, has worked for Collier for 30 years! 30 years is a major milestone, but it is also Mrs.Raffel’s last year at Collier, as she plans to retire in June. In honor of 30 amazing years at Collier, we sat down with Mrs. Raffel to reflect on her journey,  impact on others, and favorite memories. 

Mrs. Raffel went to a small high school in Ohio, she was a social butterfly that had friends everywhere. She knew from the start she was meant to help others. If she didn’t go into social work, she would have worked with animals. 

She went to Kent State University, for her undergraduate degree. Her major was corrections. She wanted to work in a prison setting or probation. Early in her career she worked in a detention center. She also attended Hunter College School of Social Work, to become a social worker. She graduated in 1984, with her Masters in Social Work.

Mrs. Raffel has had many different experiences with the job industry throughout her life. She worked as a crisis counselor and she was also a civilian social worker for the Army. While she was working in Fort Monmouth with soldiers a friend of hers was working at Collier and mentioned a job opening in social work. She was always passionate about working with adolescents and she explained that this opportunity “checked all the boxes”. 

Her favorite moments from the 30 amazing years at Collier have been simply seeing students grow, and knowing they had so much promise for their future. She has been described as a passionate, direct and caring person. Singing and travelling are her favorite ways to spend free time. She shared her favorite quote, “Take it in”.