by North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center | Feb 12, 2025 | In The Media, Long Island Press
Published on November 19, 2024, Long Island Press, Long Island Business News
North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center’s Hope and Healing Gala was a night to remember, celebrating the transformative work of the Long Island’s premiere nonprofit children’s mental health organization. Held on November 13, 2024 at North Hempstead Country Club, the event brought together community leaders, supporters, and friends to raise nearly a quarter million dollars in support of vital programs and services.
“When you’ve been around for as long as we have, you know that the only way to keep going is by moving forward,” said Alexis Siegel, President of the Board of Directors. “By listening and responding to the changing needs of the community, we have kept a finger on the pulse of what is most needed by the children and families on Long Island.”
The evening honored Dr. Ramin Rak, neurosurgeon at NSPC Brain and Spine Surgery and Founder/CEO of iMind Brain Food. Dr. Rak consistently amplifies the connection between the health of the mind and body and is a valued supporter of the Guidance Center.
“The strides we are making in medicine are extraordinary, constantly pushing the boundaries of what is possible and giving patients hope where there was once none,” noted Dr. Rak. “But for all the progress we make in the operating room, it is organizations like the Guidance Center that create the environments where healing and transformation can continue beyond the operating room walls.”
Justine Hofsiss, a client of the Diane Goldberg Maternal Health & Wellness Program, shared a moving account of her journey with postpartum depression and anxiety. “I’m not exaggerating when I say that the Guidance Center saved my life,” she said, joined at the podium with the support of her husband. “They helped me see a future that I couldn’t imagine for myself in my darkest days. My children have a happy and healthy mom, and I can be there for my family just like they were there for me. I’m grateful beyond words to this incredible organization that gave me back hope and joy in my life.”
The evening’s music was provided by Peat Moss and the Fertilizers, who got guests out of their seats and onto the dancefloor. Holly Marcell, the 10th grade daughter of Board Members Andrew and Carol Marcell, captivated the audience with a touching performance of “She Used to Be Mine” from the musical Waitress, a song that emphasizes the importance of self-love.
Kathy Rivera, the Guidance Center’s Executive Director/CEO, thanked the evening’s Emcee, Stacey Sager of Channel 7 Eyewitness News, and the sponsors and underwriters of the event: Maureen & John Ferrari; Klipper Family Foundation; The Schott Foundation; WABC-TV; Marilyn & Russell Albanese; Americana Manhasset; SompoRe; Mary Margiotta & Vasu Krishnamurthy; Susan Isaacs & Elkan Abramowitz; and Lauren & Jonathan Schiff.
by North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center | Feb 12, 2025 | Blog
By Gillian Uhl, Mental Health Outpatient Clinical Supervisor and Wilderness Program Clinical Supervisor
Winter brings shorter days, frigid temperatures, and a natural tendency to hibernate indoors. While the season is perfect for quality family time, it’s just as important to encourage kids and teens to get outside and stay active, even when it’s cold. Whether they are sledding, building snowmen, or ice skating, staying physically and socially engaged during the winter months can have a powerful impact on mental and emotional well-being.
The Importance of Staying Active
The colder months make it easy for kids to fall into routines that include scrolling on their phones or binge-watching tv shows. While some downtime is healthy, too much can negatively affect growing minds and bodies. Excessive screen time and inactivity are linked to increased risks of anxiety, depression, and even obsessive thinking; a cycle that can be hard to break out of.
With many extracurriculars paused due to the weather, opportunities to socialize and connect with peers can become limited. This isolation can lead youth to withdraw further, worsening feelings of loneliness they may already be experiencing.
According to the National Library of Medicine, up to 5.5% of youth aged 9–19 experience Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) annually, a condition commonly referred to as seasonal depression. This form of depression is brought on by the darker and colder months and may lead to symptoms like low energy, negative thinking, and in severe cases, suicidal ideation.
Exercise doesn’t just promote physical health. Regular activity leads to a sense of accomplishment and boosted self-esteem. Finding an activity that is both enjoyable and effective is vital in getting your child to unplug from technology and start moving!
Respite in Nature
Getting your teen out of bed and moving is no small feat—especially on a Saturday morning. That’s why North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center designed the Wilderness Respite Program, which provides a uniquely fun and exciting opportunity for at-risk adolescents to participate in hikes and other nature activities that foster individual growth, leadership skills, and self-esteem.
Designed for teens and young adults navigating mental health challenges, this program connects youth with peers who understand their struggles, creating a safe and welcoming environment in which healing can bloom. On visits to places like Blydenburgh County Park, Harriman State Park, and Jones Beach, teens who may find socialization at school challenging thrive over a shared appreciation for what nature has to offer.
Participants in Wilderness Respite Program truly thrive thanks to their commitment to resilience. These Saturday morning outings happen year-round, no matter the weather. Whether there is rain, snow, or sunshine, Wilderness hikes remind teens that just like in life, challenges can be overcome with commitment and a strong support system.
Here’s how a volunteer and sister of one of our Wilderness Respite Program teens put it:
“After going on these hikes for over a year and witnessing the positive impact it had on countless teens, I realized that it would be the perfect opportunity for my 15-year-old brother to come out of his shell. Though he was hesitant at first, I watched his entire demeanor change after the very first hike.
These trips can be challenging: they go out there in rain or snow, face steep hills and fast paces, and it allows these kids to build a sense of camaraderie with one another. The respite program gave my brother the opportunity to become part of a team, and this has made all this difference in his transformation. He is no longer afraid of opening up and has developed many healthy coping skills that he uses when he feels overwhelmed. The confidence and resilience he has developed since being in this program are truly remarkable.”
The program is open to Nassau County residents aged 12-23. To connect your child with this transformative experience, call the Guidance Center at (516) 626-1971 or visit www.northshorechildguidance.org today.
by North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center | Dec 16, 2024 | In The Media, Long Island Press
Published Oct 17, 2024
On Sept. 20, North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center welcomed a team of National Grid volunteers to the Marks Family Right From the Start 0-3+ Center as part of the company’s statewide day of service, known as Project C.
For the third year in a row, National Grid volunteers dedicated their time to various projects throughout the Guidance Center by painting, cleaning and transforming rooms into beautiful, functional facilities that are now ready to serve the community.
“We are so grateful for the amazing work of the National Grid volunteers,” Sue Cohen, director of early childhood and psychological services at the Right from the Start Center, said. The Guidance Center serves its youngest clients and their families.
“The group was enthusiastic in taking on every project that we suggested, no matter how big or small, and some that they identified on their own,” she continued. “Their efforts resulted in a brand-new group therapy room, which will be put to immediate use with our fall programs, and a calming lactation room that was transformed from an old office space. This tranquil setting is now ready for postpartum clients and staff members alike.”
When materials for the sensory room, a major initiative at the Guidance Center, didn’t arrive in time for the Day of Service, National Grid generously arranged for a second team of volunteers to return the following Friday to assemble the wide range of sensory equipment.
“National Grid volunteers went above and beyond to perfect the space and set up the state-of-the-art equipment for our use,” Cohen said. “We are so grateful for all of their hard work and continued support of our mission.”
“We are proud to support the communities where we live and work,” said Brian Sapp, regional director of external affairs at National Grid.
“Giving back is important to us, and it’s extremely rewarding to see the impact we can make. Volunteering at North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center was rewarding and we are proud to have the opportunity to contribute by offering our resources and support,” he continued. “Nonprofits like the Guidance Center play a crucial role in improving the lives of young people on Long Island, and we’re honored to work alongside them.”
If your company would like to discuss opportunities to volunteer at the Guidance Center or support our mission in other ways, contact Lauren McGowan at LMcGowan@northshorechildguidance.org.
Click to read the article on Long Island Press
by North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center | Dec 16, 2024 | In The Media, Newsday
Published Oct 31, 2024, By Tiffany Cusaac-Smith
On a Wednesday evening in a university classroom in Patchogue, about a dozen Long Island teachers were learning a lesson that could alter the course of their students’ lives.
From choosing appropriate books in classrooms to handling off-the-cuff remarks, the class at St. Joseph’s University, New York, talked about how racism can sometimes creep into learning environments and adversely impact the mental health of their students.
One teacher discussed an instance where one child called another one racist. Another teacher with Spanish-speaking students learning English said she introduced books with both languages to calm concerns about speaking the new tongue.
At that point, the professor, Renee White, responded, saying: “That’s the whole reason why we need diverse books in the classroom, because it has an impact on the children’s mental health.”
WHAT NEWSDAY FOUND
- A recent study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that high schoolers who experienced racism at school were more likely to turn to substance abuse as well as to develop mental distress.
- The survey found that nearly a third of high schoolers said in 2023 that they experienced racism in school.
- Experts said the research points to the need for schools to offer more staff training to counter racism and to offer more support for youth.
“It builds their self-esteem,” said White, who holds a doctorate in education. “It gives them a positive self-confidence.”
These weekly evening classes are aimed at giving teachers the cultural sensitivity to confront racism in schools, which can have grave consequences for the mental health of youth, researchers said.
Link with mental health
A recent study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that high schoolers who experienced racism at school were more likely to turn to substance abuse and/or develop mental distress.
The survey, drawn from more than 20,000 student questionnaires in 155 schools nationally, found that nearly a third of all high schoolers said in 2023 that they experienced racism in school. The survey covered a nationally representative group of ninth- to 12th-graders, the CDC said.
Yet there were crucial differences when the survey was stratified for race. Black and Hispanic students who said they’ve dealt with racism tended to report a higher frequency of mental health distress and/or substance use, compared with people in those groups who hadn’t experienced racism, the report said.
For instance, roughly 57% of Asian American students reported experiencing racism in school — the highest rate among all racial/ethnic groups included in the survey. Of those teens, 43% reported having “persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness.” The rate was about 19% for those who had not had contact with racism.
About 20% of Asian American students who reported being exposed to racism in school also said they seriously considered attempting suicide, the report found. For Asian American students without that exposure, the prevalence of suicidal ideation was about 6%.
The study reported that roughly 50% of multiracial students and about 46% of Black students experienced racism in school.
About 50% of Black students who encountered racism reported having “persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness,” compared with around 30% of those who did not deal with prejudice.
Among mixed-raced students, the numbers were similar: Nearly 53% of those who experienced racism expressed the same sentiment, compared with roughly 31% of those who had not dealt with racism.
Mental health experts say students’ experiences with racism can vary, ranging from statements from other students or school staff to possible disparities in how the administration disciplines students.
Developing cultural sensitivity
Even when discrimination is not expressed overtly, experts say, subtle statements, such as those telling a student they should or shouldn’t achieve a certain level of success because of their racial background, can have a negative impact.
Wilfred Farquharson IV, a licensed psychologist and clinical associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral health at Stony Brook Medicine, said those subtler forms of racism can amount to “a death of 1,000 cuts.”
“That additional stress, either of ‘you should be doing this,’ or ‘you should not be doing that,’ or ‘you belong here’ versus ‘you do not belong here’ — those things impact young people’s mental health as they’re trying to achieve and are trying to adjust,” he said.
Experts said the research points to the need for schools to offer more staff training to offset racism in schools and offer more support for youth.
Farquharson said schools also can make sure that educational materials discuss people of color in appropriate ways.
Teachers and mental health professionals, he said, can affirm the identities of all students through celebratory holidays and other aspects that serve as preventive measures against racism.
Gordon Zhang, president of the Long Island Chinese American Association, emphasized the need for better cultural education for students and staff, something he said has been improving in recent years. However, he noted that derogatory statements toward Asian American students often come from a lack of knowledge.
“You cannot know something if you don’t know,” Zhang said. “There’s no way you can do the right thing.”
However, some experts note that such recommendations about inclusion come as some programs dealing with diversity in schools and cultural sensitivity are being rolled back and reconsidered.
A 2023 study by the nonprofit Long Island Strong Schools Alliance found that half of Long Island school districts had made “little or no progress in implementing the state’s policy on diversity, equity, and inclusion,” referring to the Board of Regent’s 2021 policy on DEI.
Republicans in at least 20 states have put forward nearly 50 pieces of legislation that would limit diversity, equity and inclusion programs in schools and other places, The Associated Press reported earlier this year, citing its analysis using a bill-tracking software.
Conversely, Democratic lawmakers in about 10 states have proposed around 24 bills that encourage or require such initiatives, the AP reported.
“How do you address this when you have many people who are seeking to pretend that racism doesn’t exist and that anything talking about racism, acknowledging it or seeking to address it … is a problem?” asked Laura Harding, president of ERASE Racism, a Syosset-based racial justice organization.
Ignoring mental health
Most racial groups that experienced racism also had higher numbers of abuse of substances, such as marijuana, opioids and tobacco, the CDC report said.
Sudha Sarker, a clinical supervisor of a North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center program for people dealing with substance abuse and mental health concerns, said not addressing the source of those concerns can lead a young person to self-medicate, get poor grades, or to be disruptive in school.
“And that is happening because their mental health … is maybe being pushed off. It’s not the first thing that comes to a teacher’s mind or a parent’s mind when” a child is not doing well, she said.
White, who teaches the course at St. Joseph’s University, New York, said many teachers are unaware of their impact on a child’s psyche.
“They just need to be more aware and more critical as to what practices they are implementing,” said White, who is also founder of Renee’s Way Inc., where she does education consulting and women’s empowerment.
Throughout her semester, though, she said she often saw her students move from hesitancy to understanding as they worked through analyzing curriculums and learning about sensitivities.
White said she has heard teachers make such remarks as: “I’ve lived an isolated life,” or “I hope I haven’t ruined a child.”
By the end of the course, she tells students now that they have more knowledge of the impacts of racism in education, they have a responsibility to do better.
“What will you do differently now that you know?” she said.
