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About us

We are a team of clinicians, trainers and youth workers who connect with young people through counseling and movement based practices. Our practice uses a unique and interdisciplinary approach that values being trauma informed, person centered and pro-neurodiversity. At Project inMOTION, we provide a safe space while addressing the social and emotional needs of young people in marginalized communities. We believe that everyone has the innate desire to move and that kids engage best through play. Our practices use a variety of movement and play based approaches to foster social emotional wellbeing.

We are committed to person centered and strength based learning, putting our young people at the forefront of their own development. We aim to promote authenticity and acceptance within all of our young people. We ground our work in evidence based practice and emphasize the relationship through kinesthetic empathy and attunement.

Our Clinical Team

Sara Czworniak, LCSW & Co-Founder

Born and raised in Southern California, Sara had the conviction to create change at a young age after her experience with childhood cancer. She lost her hair, independence and opportunity to have a normal childhood. After reflecting on her experiences, skills, and passions she became interested in social issues regarding health and mental health. Through her education at Whittier College, she especially gained an affinity for the types of programs and resources provided to high risk populations affected by mental and health issues. Sara worked to provide innovative services to facilitate development, support, and vocational opportunities for individuals on the autism spectrum and with developmental challenges. She designed and implemented movement based activities to empower young people to develop healthy coping strategies in an effort to bring emotional and social change. After graduating Summa Cum Laude with department honors from Whittier, Sara moved to the big city in 2015 to pursue her Master’s degree in Social Work from NYU Silver School of Social Work. During this time, Sara worked as a medical social worker in Manhattan and the Bronx. There she assisted patients in navigating the complex healthcare system while also learning effective coping strategies for the mental and emotional strains of having a challenging diagnosis. In addition to her work at PIM, Sara works as a Social Worker in Early Intervention providing home-based services to young people ages 0 to 3 years and their families to support development. Sara also continues to facilitate community integration and inclusion for Autistic persons providing direct support in the community and actively working with individuals and their families to attain the individual’s social emotional goals. 

With over 20 years of competitive dance experience in jazz, hip hop, contemporary and pom-pom, Sara has had the opportunity to compete on a state, national and international level. While at Whittier College Sara served as the Artistic Director of the college dance team. Sara continues to utilize the power of dance and movement to bring joy, and self-expression to both the neuro-diverse and neuro-typical community. One can often find Sara jamming to her favorite songs in the subway or learning new dance styles from the communities’ Latin dance scene. In addition, Sara has been training in boxing to bridge together sports and mental health. Bilingual in Spanish, Sara continues to enhance her language skills to help her make therapy accessible to other people of Latin descent. Sara is excited to combine her passion for dance, boxing and movement with SEL to finally have a creative and fun space that feels welcoming to herself and others!

Giana Quinterno, LCSW & Co-Founder

Coming to us from the smallest state in the country, Rhode Island, Giana relocated to NYC back in 2015 and has been living in NYC since. Since living in NYC she has been working in NYC public schools providing counseling, crisis intervention and mental health support to young people. With a BA in psychology and Social Work and Masters in Social Work, Giana’s previous work experience includes working in classroom and school settings from Pre-K through elementary school focusing on providing support in Social Emotional development and Mental Health for the Deaf, hard of hearing and others dealing with developmental and behavioral challenges. While in NYC, she made the jump to provide counseling services in NYC High Schools through a few community based organizations until 2019. At the high school she was working at, Giana helped to found the 1st ever cheerleading team at her school’s campus. Over the course of 5 years, Giana developed a recreational JV and competitive Varsity cheer team at her school who got to compete in their first Regional competition in 2019.  Now, Giana spends much of her time as a Social Worker in Early Intervention, providing home based interventions to young people 0-3 and families to support their development.

When Giana isn’t at work, she enjoys spending time outside in nature and dancing to Latin music. Dancing has always been a passion of hers both on stage and within her communities.  Giana is currently working to earn her certification in Dance/Movement Therapy and hopes to become an R-DMT (registered dance/movement therapist) soon! With a fun spirit and high energy, Giana is excited to bring sports and movement to social emotional development in NYC

Grace Hamel, LMSW

Originally from Rhode Island, she moved to New York City to pursue her graduate studies. Her passion for mental health and well-being began in high school, where she started lifeguarding at The Autism Project’s summer camp for autistic young people and adults. Since 2017, Grace has worked with The Autism Project in various roles and currently serves as a co-lead counselor at their summer camp. Grace earned her BA in Psychology from Wheaton College in Massachusetts, where she continued lifeguarding while also gaining clinical experience supporting autistic young people in their developmental goals. During her time at Wheaton, she became an academic peer advisor, helping students with career and academic development. She also held leadership positions in the Black Student Association and Renaissance House, a community for BIPOC women, where she deepened her commitment to social justice, advocacy, and the mental health of BIPOC and LGBTQIA communities. After graduating from Wheaton, Grace pursued her Master’s degree in Social Work at Columbia University, graduating in 2024. During her graduate studies, she completed two internships—one at the Mailman School of Public Health, where she focused on advocacy and programming for BIPOC and first-generation doctoral students, and another at Project inMotion. At Project inMotion, Grace honed her clinical skills and supported social-emotional development through group therapy and movement-based therapy for children and young adults ages 2-14.

Since becoming a licensed social worker (LMSW), Grace has been providing individual counseling and group services to young people and adults ages 3-22 at Project inMotion. Outside of her career, Grace is an avid participant in movement-based activities, including swimming, rowing, and Latin dance, which she practiced during her undergraduate years. As Grace progresses in her career, she is dedicated to advocating for and supporting caregivers and families of neurodivergent young people. She is particularly passionate about integrating social-emotional learning (SEL) into swimming programs, helping young people not only learn to swim but also develop important SEL skills that foster both emotional and physical growth.


Meet our Coaches & Support Staff

  • Jude Dervil

    Boxing coach

  • Sariba Jarjou

    Cheer Coach

  • Krissy Raisner

    Support Staff

  • Lyndsey Bloise

    Cheer Coach

  • Julio Berenguer

    Boxing Coach