John Venza

John Venza has more than 30 years of experience in substance abuse treatment, as a licensed clinical social worker and licensed mental health counselor. As Vice President for Adolescent and Residential Services, Venza manages the adolescent residential treatment programs at Outreach’s Queens and Long Island locations. In this role, he supervises the Program Directors and provides clinical and administrative oversight for the Brentwood and Ridgewood programs.

A native New Yorker, Venza began his career in Arizona, where he worked with the Arizona Department of Corrections as well as several group homes, centers and residential treatment centers. In 1991, Venza began as a part-time overnight counselor with Outreach’s newly opened residential treatment program in Brentwood. Focusing on adolescent treatment, he advanced through varied leadership positions which lead to his appointment as Vice President in 2002.

Leveraging his expertise, Venza has served as an instructor and advisor for Outreach Training Institute’s CASAC program in Queens and Long Island. He also taught for SUNY – Stony Brook University, authoring and facilitating five graduate-level courses on adolescence for the university’s Adolescent Psychology program. Currently, Venza is Co-Chair of the Suffolk County Communities of Solution and heads the Committee on School Outreach. He is also a member of the OASAS Adolescent Advisory Panel, and is a member of the Suffolk County Legislative Opioid Task Force.

Venza received his Master of Science in Social Work at Adelphi University and a Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Arizona – Tucson. He is a frequent public speaker and agency spokesperson on the topics of adolescent and young adult mental health and substance use disorder.