About Us

As the preeminent not-for-profit children’s mental health agency on Long Island, North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center is dedicated to restoring and strengthening the emotional well-being of children (from birth – age 24) and their families.

For 70 years, the Guidance Center has been a place of hope and healing, providing innovative and compassionate treatment to all who enter our doors, regardless of their ability to pay.

In 1953, The North Shore Child Guidance Association was officially incorporated as the result of a grassroots movement of parents seeking to fill the gap in mental health services for children.

In 1956, the Guidance Center opened in Great Neck as the first independent community-supported mental health clinic in Nassau County. Six months later, the Center moved to a larger facility in Manhasset.

In 1968, other clinics were opened in Port Washington and Roslyn.

In 1970, the first Westbury office opened on Grant Street.

In 1974, Marion Levine was hired as the executive director.

In 1984, the name of the organization was changed to North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center and a mansion in Roslyn Heights called Whispered Wishes was purchased as its headquarters.

In 1989, the Guidance Center was awarded a chemical dependency license and began to offer outpatient services for youths in New Cassel. The program later became the first in New York State to be awarded an Outpatient Chemical Dependency for Youth License.

In 1996, the Intensive Support Program – a school-based mental health partnership with Nassau BOCES – initiated the only service of its kind in New York State.

In 1998, The Marks Family Right from the Start 0-3+ Center opened in Manhasset. The Westbury Office, The Place, moved to Brush Hollow Road in Westbury.

In 2001, after the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center, the Guidance Center was selected as a FEMA-funded Project Liberty agency, providing mental health care for traumatized and bereaved children and families.

On September 11, 2002, the Guidance Center’s work with bereaved family members impacted by 9/11 was featured on a primetime television documentary hosted by Barbara Walters.

In 2003, The Lucille and Martin E. Kantor Bereavement & Trauma Center opened on the main campus in Roslyn Heights, housing the Schnurmacher Family Bereavement and Trauma Program.

In 2006, Andrew Malekoff was appointed Executive Director/CEO after Marion Levine’s retirement. The Place was re-named The Leeds Place – Serving Young People.

In 2009, the Guidance Center formed research partnerships with the NYU Child Study Center, the New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University and the New York State Office of Mental Health.

In 2010, the Guidance Center offered its first service in Suffolk County, a partnership with the Wyandanch School District, to provide crisis counseling for children at risk.

In 2012, after Hurricane Sandy, the Guidance Center was selected as a FEMA-funded Project Hope agency, providing crisis counseling for devastated families throughout Nassau County.

In 2013, the Guidance Center continued to respond to record numbers of emergency calls and the Fay J. Lindner Triage and Emergency Services Program was named.

In 2017, the Guidance Center released the results of Project Access, a year-long study in which approximately 650 Long Islanders were surveyed about their experiences and frustrations in trying to obtain timely and affordable mental health services.

In 2020, the Douglas S. Feldman Suicide Prevention Project was launched, an expansive initiative aiming to tackle the epidemic of suicide among young people. The Guidance Center introduced telehealth services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing clients to continue individual, group, and family therapy during a time of uncertainty. 

 In 2023, the Guidance Center implemented a three-year Strategic Plan — the first of its kind in the agency’s history — providing an actionable roadmap towards becoming a thriving nonprofit.