WJCS News

The WJCS 26th Annual Edythe Kurz Conference scheduled for Thurday, November 1, 2018 will focus on Recovery-Oriented Approaches to Psychosis. The Keynote speaker will be Stephen Smith, PhD, Director of Training at MHA Westchester. Dr. Smith is a licensed psychologist with a special interest in psychological treatments for psychosis.

A young African American woman stood at the podium, bravely telling the story of her experience with domestic violence for the first time in public. Several in the audience wiped away tears as she spoke of how it took her almost getting killed before she was able to walk away from the relationship. “People tried to tell me, but I didn’t want to listen,” she said sadly, shaking her head.

Everyone wants to feel accepted for who they are and what they believe, feel and value. Most people look to belong, to be part of something larger than themselves, where there is a sense of community and “home”. Our synagogues and religious schools can and have provided a spiritual home for its members, a center where families can worship together and celebrate Shabbat and Jewish holidays.  

With the country’s attention and conversation focused on testimonies surrounding accusations of sexual abuse, Liane Nelson, Ph.D., Director of WJCS’s Trager Lemp Center for Treating Trauma & Promoting Resilience, offers recommendations for victims of sexual abuse who are considering talking with others about their experience for the first time.

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. Yet being knowledgeable about the signs of someone who is suicidal and knowing what to do under such circumstances is something that needs to be on our minds throughout the year.

Thanks to the generosity of UJA Westchester, MasterCard, Cuddy & Feder, Congregation Emanu-El, elementary school volunteers from the Solomon Schechter School of Westchester and the Off the Street Club at Scarsdale High School, as well as many individual donors

Donna*, an only child in her late fifties, suspected that her mother’s Alzheimer’s was progressing. Her mom, a widow living alone in Bronxville, seemed increasingly confused when they spoke on the phone, plus Donna, who lived and worked in Las Vegas, was starting to receive phone calls from concerned neighbors.

Summer is almost over, and with the end of the season comes the excitement of heading back to school! Thousands of families across Westchester are excited for the start of the school year, but there are many families who have trouble affording school supplies - which can make for an overwhelming and less exciting back to school experience.