Radio Appearance on “Project Independence” (WCWP 88.1) by Dr. Nellie Taylor-Walthrust, April 27, 2018
Nellie Taylor-Walthrust, (Director NSCFGC-The Leeds Place)
Grandparents as Caregivers Part 1
Grandparents as Caregivers Part 2
The Benefits of Pet Therapy
While all kids benefit from their relationships with animals, animal-assisted therapy is an especially important tool for children and teens who are on the autism spectrum or who have other special needs or emotional issues such as depression, anxiety or social isolation. Pets help youngsters not only to feel loved, but also to help them open up, learn to bond and decrease their level of stress.
When Bideawee visited North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center with their therapy dogs, one very shy girl who barely spoke lit up when she saw the dogs enter the room. “She asked me if she could go pet the dog, and I told her she needed to ask the volunteer,” explains Lee Holtzman, who heads up the Guidance Center’s Family Advocacy Program. “Normally, it would have been almost impossible to get this girl to speak with someone she never met, but her desire to spend time with the dog was so strong that it helped her overcome her fears and speak with the volunteer.”
The therapy dogs also helped calm down a boy who has impulsivity issues and tends to be very loud. “We explained how dogs get startled by very loud noises or sudden movements, and that helped him learn a lesson about behaving appropriately in a calm manner,” says Holtzman. The goal is that the lessons the children learn working with pets can be carried over into their lives.
A trip by teens from our Latina Girls Project offers another example of how working with animals can be transformative. The girls, many of whom suffer from depression and anxiety, are typically shy and withdrawn when they first come to the Guidance Center, so some of our therapeutic goals are to help them get in touch with their feelings, develop self-esteem, bond with each other and with their therapists, and learn skills to help them navigate life and heal their inner wounds.
Associate Executive Director Regina Barros-Rivera took the girls to HorseAbility Therapeutic Riding Program in Old Westbury, an equine therapy program designed to promote the physical, psychological, emotional, social and spiritual well-being of its participants, many of whom are special needs children and teens.
Of the 18 girls who went on the trip, only one had been on a horse before, so many of the girls expressed trepidation. The volunteers at HorseAbility showed the teens what they would be doing that day, including riding, guiding the horses through an obstacle course and learning to groom and feed them.
The volunteers told the girls each horse’s story; many are rescues. The girls quickly bonded with these beautiful animals, and all were moved by the fact that the horses had faced difficulties in their lives, just as the girls do.
“We saw incredible growth in several of the girls through the experience,” says Barros-Rivera. “One teen who tends to isolate and act as if she doesn’t care about anyone walked over and hugged another teen whose anxiety about riding had her sobbing and shaking. It was a very powerful moment for both of them and one that can create lasting growth.”
For all children, teens and adults, too, animals are a true treasure, helping all of us become better human beings.
Andrew Malekoff Receives Folio Award; Long Island Business News, May 3, 2018
Andrew Malekoff (center) of North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center received a Folio Award from the Fair Media Council. He was congratulated by James Kinney (left) and Jaci Clement.
Guidance Center Luncheon Raises Over $68,000. Blank Slate Media, May 4, 2018
On April 26, North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center, the preeminent not-for-profit children’s mental health agency on Long Island, raised more than $68,000 to support our mission to restore and strengthen the emotional well-being of children and their families.
The event, which took place at Glen Head Country Club, began with exciting games of Mahjong, Canasta and Bridge, along with unique shopping boutiques from some of Long Island’s trendiest and most charitable small business owners, including Dale’s Novelty Knits, Dash, Designs That Donate, iThrive, Kostume Klassics, Museum Coffee House and RFC Fine Jewelry, among others.
Following the delicious luncheon buffet came a most informative and engaging presentation by keynote speaker Dr. Victor M. Fornari.
Fornari is Director of the Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at The Zucker Hillside Hospital and Cohen’s Children’s Medical Center and Professor of Psychiatry & Pediatrics at the Donald & Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. He discussed the latest developments in the field of children’s mental health, focusing on the Mobility study currently being done in conjunction with the Guidance Center and others of a medication named Metformin.
“The purpose of this study is to determine if adding Metformin to a healthy lifestyle program would help children and teens control weight gain caused by certain medications,” said Fornari. He explained that a large percentage of some anti-psychotic medications for children and adolescents cause weight gain, which increases the risk of developing Type II diabetes as well as cardiovascular, neurological and digestive conditions.
Fornari cited “the courage” of Dr. Reena Nandi, the Guidance Center’s Director of Psychiatric Services, Executive Director Andrew Malekoff and other Guidance Center colleagues for playing such a central role in this study. He also said that the Guidance Center is “the most productive of all of our partners.”
He also told the audience that this is the largest pediatric psychopharmacological study ever funded by PCORI, the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute.
“We are proud to partner with such a prestigious and patient-outcome drive study,” said Nandi. “We’re eagerly awaiting the results, which could have a dramatic impact on the health of children and adolescents.”
The luncheon couldn’t have been so successful without the hard work of our co-chairs, Jan Ashley, Amy Cantor and Alexis Siegel. “For several years, these three dedicated Guidance Center supporters have taken on the formidable task of organizing this exciting and informative event,” said Malekoff. “Their dedication to our mission is unwavering.”
We are also grateful for the support of our sponsors, without whom we couldn’t host such a terrific event. They are: The Children’s Medical Center at NYU Winthrop Hospital; Ruth Fortunoff Cooper; Americana Manhasset; Nancy Lane; Andrea Leeds; Signature Bank; Amy Cantor; Fara Copell; Klipper Family Foundation; Tracey Murray Kupferberg, CBR; Power Travel; Raich Ender Malter & Co. LLP; Alexis Siegel; Linda Cronin; Ann Dorman & Kenneth Adler; Joan Grant; Carol Marcell; Nanci Roth; and Carol Wolowitz.