Mental Health Division Responds to Community Needs
ANDRUS' Mental Health Division, with clinics in Yonkers, White Plains and Peekskill, is finding new ways to make sure children and families in these communities will find help from us where and when they need us.
The New York State Office of Mental Health has approved our request to open our clinics in Yonkers and White Plains on Saturdays in addition to Monday through Friday. "This is a vital addition, especially for working families who may find it hard to bring their children to appointments during the week" said Rosa Bautista, Director of the Mental Health Division. Staff in each of our clinics are specially trained to work with children from birth through adolescence as well as with adults and families. We are always prepared to respond to children and adults experiencing trauma, loss, or unusual crisis. Our core services include individual, group and family counseling along with psychiatric evaluation and medication management.
We have emphasized our commitment to communities in other ways, by locating our staff in schools where they can easily connect with children, their teachers and families to create a strong network of support. At the Enrico Fermi School in Yonkers, the program's pilot location, the clinicians will now be available 4 full days a week. ANDRUS currently has satellite clinics in Hillcrest Elementary and Peekskill Middle, both in Peekskill. This month we have been approved to add a new site at the VIVE Academy in Yonkers. "We're proud of this effort to reach out to our community and make our services as accessible as possible" Bautista said.
Many children experience transient or more prolonged adjustment issues that present difficulties for them in achieving their educational goals. By offering social and emotional support on site and working with school staff to develop effective strategies we are able to enrich everyone's understanding of how to help. Families have told us how supported they feel when everyone is working together to make sure their children succeed.
ANDRUS has always believed that early intervention is the key for children who are vulnerable to social and emotional stress. Our goal is to prevent longer term mental health issues that can develop when problems are addressed. By making our hours more convenient for families and opening satellite clinics in schools, we know we are doing more than ever to ensure brighter futures for local children and families who need our help. To find out more about our MHD click here |