SAINT AUGUSTINE, FL, July 21, 2025 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Theresa "Tessie" A. Ferlita, retired clinical social worker, was selected by Marquis Who's Who for a prominent feature in the Florida Edition of The Wall Street Journal, published on July 17, 2025.

Well-versed in the social work sector, with a specialization in assessing family situations, Ms. Ferlita has contributed several decades of her expertise to various medical facilities and clinics worldwide prior to her retirement in 2017. Equipped with an innate interest in aiding families with various issues, she commenced her career as an aid to those with dependent children (AFDC) worker, during which time she provided assistance to senior citizens, the disabled population and individuals with visual impairments.

Following this tenure, Ms. Ferlita served as a protective service worker in Tampa, Florida, demonstrating her natural proclivity to working with children and protecting their welfare. While pursuing this vocation, she attended Spalding College (now Spalding University) for her undergraduate studies and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in sociology and social welfare. During this tenure, she was offered the role of assistant to the dean of students and resident advisor of two dormitories. Remarkably, Ms. Ferlita was afforded the opportunity to attend the Kent School of Social Work at the University of Louisville, from which she earned a Master of Social Work.

Upon graduating with a master's degree in social work, Ms. Ferlita served as the home-finding supervisor in the foster care division of the Kentucky Department of Child Welfare in Louisville, Kentucky. As part of her routine responsibilities in this role, she was instrumental in recruiting potential foster parents, helping to develop a training program for foster parents, and determining the approval or disapproval of fellow staff's home studies.

Notably, Ms. Ferlita was granted opportunities to travel overseas to London, where she was employed by the Borough of Newham as a senior social worker in the intake unit. At this time, her responsibilities included investigating referrals for child abuse and neglect, as well as conducting adoption studies and addressing intrafamily issues. Furthermore, she dedicated time to short-term case management, referring patients to long-term care units, and training and supervising fellow social workers.

Shortly thereafter, Ms. Ferlita returned to the United States, settling in Tampa, where she served as an alcoholism treatment counselor at the Hillsborough County Mental Health Center and worked directly with the Children's Home. Subsequently, Ms. Ferlita spent an additional decade with the Child Abuse Council, joining as a caseworker and escalating to the rank of director of training and education. At that time, she was the only employee in the education department, and while there, she helped to develop the educational program in San Sebastian and Madrid, Spain, providing tutoring in Spanish on child abuse. She also worked as a medical social worker in the trauma unit at Tampa General Hospital and concluded her career as a home health social worker at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa.

Outside her primary vocation, Ms. Ferlita has participated in child abuse and domestic violence workshops worldwide, including in Tororo, Kampala and Papoli, Uganda. Testifying to her selflessness and expertise in social work modalities, Ms. Ferlita was honored as the Social Worker of the Year.

Adjacent to her primary objectives, Ms. Ferlita is proud of her Cuban-Sicilian heritage and emphasizes that her rich background has influenced her worldly perspectives. In this regard, she notes that an individual's cultural environment permeates their life experiences, shaping their thoughts, lifestyles and decision-making. As a result, her unique understanding and leveraging of her heritage have played a remarkable role in guiding her approach to social work.

About Marquis Who's Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. The suite of Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who's Who® website, www.marquiswhoswho.com.

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