Events
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Mental Health First Aid Training (WJCS Staff Only)
WJCS HQ 845 North Broadway, White Plains, NYMental Health First Aid takes the fear and hesitation out of starting conversations about mental health and substance use problems by improving understanding and providing an action plan that teaches people to safely and responsibly identify and address a potential mental illness or substance use disorder. This training for WJCS staff will teach learners how to be a support to colleagues who may be struggling.
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Protective Factors and Promoting Resilience in Early Childhood
ZoomThis training will seek to inform participants about the major findings of the ACES study, the theoretical foundations for the Protective Factors Framework, and each of the five protective factors. This course will further address practical strategies to integrate the Protective Factors Framework approach into existing practices, as well as the use of a screening tool known as the Protective Factors Index, or PFI.
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Maintaining Appropriate Professional Boundaries: Exploring Ethical Obligations of Mental Health Professionals (FOR WJCS STAFF ONLY)
ZoomThis course brings real-world context to ethical concerns often experienced by professionals in practice in maintaining appropriate professional boundaries, including telehealth and social media domains. This course will provide a framework to contemplate ethical dilemmas and make informed decisions that insulate professionals from legal liability while protecting clients from harm.
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Complicated Relationships: Case Studies in Boundaries (FOR WJCS STAFF ONLY)
ZoomThis course brings real-world context to ethical concerns often experienced by professionals in practice in maintaining appropriate professional boundaries, including telehealth and social media domains. This course will provide a framework to contemplate ethical dilemmas and make informed decisions that insulate professionals from legal liability while protecting clients from harm.
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBTi)
ZoomIn this course, participants will be introduced to the rationale for CBTi, learn the tools involved in implementing it, and become familiar with how to manage common comorbidities and challenges in implementation.
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The Intersection of Trauma & Developmental Disabilities
ZoomIn order to enable clinicians to better serve this unique client population, this course will: provide information on how trauma may present differently in the developmental disability population compared to neurotypicals, encourage participants to think critically about how traumatic experiences might be experienced through the lens of a person with developmental disabilities, and identify ways in which current evidence-based interventions for trauma could be adapted for this population of clients.
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Dr. Samuel Kahn 2025 Memorial Lecture
ZoomThe Annual WJCS 2025 Samuel Kahn Memorial Lecture will highlight Raising Resilience, Dr. Klein’s new book about her work in helping children thrive in the face of everyday uncertainty, as well as devastating events. Dr. Klein will discuss how research on trauma and its impact on emotional and intellectual development, including her own findings, can help parents offset and even avoid damage that could derail their children’s future. The stressors and traumas could include peer conflicts, divorce, moving, academic struggles, and larger national events. Parents can learn to instill in their children the emotional intelligence, cognitive flexibility, and social know-how they need to manage life’s challenges, build the resources to bounce back, and create a lasting capacity for happiness.
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Medications for Addiction Treatment (MAT): Clinical Strategies for Engagement, Selection, and Initiation
ZoomMedications for Addiction Treatment (MAT): Clinical Strategies for Engagement, Selection, and Initiation
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Supporting Neurodivergent Students in a Community College Setting (General & Administrative Issues)
ZoomThis course has been designed to address concerns brought up by the staff working with students on the spectrum at Westchester Community College. The course will provide an orientation to the way ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder) is defined (via the DSM 5) and how it can manifest in the community college setting. The course will focus on best practice strategies for managing the challenges that come up for many students on the spectrum in their first college experience. These issues include that which is interpersonal such as the risk of social isolation as well as the intrapersonal such as accessing the emotional regulation skills necessary to meet new social and academic challenges.
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Supporting Neurodivergent Students in a Community College Setting (Clinical Issues)
ZoomThis course has been designed to address concerns brought up by the staff working with students on the spectrum at Westchester Community College. The course will provide an orientation to the way ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder) is defined (via the DSM 5) and how it can manifest in the community college setting. The course will focus on best practice strategies for managing the challenges that come up for many students on the spectrum in their first college experience. These issues include that which is interpersonal such as the risk of social isolation as well as the intrapersonal such as accessing the emotional regulation skills necessary to meet new social and academic challenges.
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Westchester Soccer Club & WJCS’s 2025 Jewish Heritage Night
Memorial Field 431 Garden Ave., Mount Vernon, NY, United StatesWestchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS) is thrilled to co-host Westchester Soccer Club’s first annual Jewish Heritage Night at its home stadium on Wednesday July 16, at 7pm. Please join us for an evening of soccer, community, and family-friendly fun!
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Introduction to Trauma-Informed Supervision
ZoomThis Introduction to Trauma-Informed Supervision is the required first step for supervisors in Westchester to become involved with Trauma-Informed Supervision work groups. This training will provide supervisor participants with a foundation in trauma and resilience as incorporated in their roles as supervisors, with particular attention to collective traumas and vicarious trauma.
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Intro to Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
WJCS Hartsdale Clinic 141 North Central Avenue, Hartsdale, NY, United StatesDialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based treatment originally designed for individuals with suicidal or self-harm behaviors. It has come to be an evidence-based treatment for borderline personality (BPD). However, many other clients and disorders have been shown to benefit from DBT, such as depression, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, or alcohol and drug use disorders. It can be applied as a behavioral therapy to any target behavior that the client would want to change. DBT is built on balancing acceptance and change. Its use of dialectics like this one, the teaching of mindfulness as a core skill, and its group curriculum of mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness skills that have distinguished DBT as a skills-based therapy.
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBTi)
ZoomIn this course, participants will be introduced to the rationale for CBTi, learn the tools involved in implementing it, and become familiar with how to manage common comorbidities and challenges in implementation.
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Common Factors of Evidence-Based Trauma Treatments
ZoomEnrollment Limited to: 20 Contact Hrs: 1.5 CEU’s: 1.5 This course will focus on using Judith Herman, MD’s three stages of trauma treatment. This course will explore the common factors of evidence-based trauma treatments including Trauma Focused-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Skills Training for Affective and Interpersonal Regulation-Narrative Story Telling (STAIR-NST) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT). We will also discuss common pre-treatment beliefs and assessment. The course will include lecture and case discussion. Method: Lecture, discussion Learning Objectives: Participants will learn how to identify at least one prerequisite for successful trauma treatment. Participants will learn about Dr. Herman’s stages of treatment ...
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Initial Assessment and Risk Evaluation/Children
ZoomContact Hrs: 1.5 CEU’s: 1.5 Enrollment Limited to: 20 Participants will learn to perform a thorough mental health assessment of, and risk evaluation for, child clients. This class will address the goals and methods of initial evaluations, and the information that should be obtained. Risk evaluations will be discussed, including eliciting and identifying risk and protective factors, making appropriate responses, and preparing documentation that protects the client, clinician, and agency. Method: Lecture; discussion. Learning Objectives: To perform a thorough mental health assessment for child clients. To elicit and identify risk and protective factors, make evidence-based responses, To prepare appropriate documentation. ...
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Food Pantry at WJCS Mary J. Blige Women’s Center
FeaturedMJB Women's Center 489 South Broadway, Yonkers, NY, United StatesThe WJCS Mary J. Blige Center in Yonkers is hosting a food pantry on the 2nd Tuesday of each month.
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Dissociation
ZoomEnrollment Limited to: 20 Contact Hrs: 1.5 CEU’s: 1.5                                                                                                                                                   This course will focus on Frank Putnam MD’s conceptualization of dissociation.  Participants will learn basic skills in how to identify dissociation, assess dissociation and treat people with dissociative disorders. The course will include lecture and case discussion. Method: Lecture, discussion Learning Objectives: Participants will learn how to identify dissociation. Participants will learn two theories about dissociation and how it emerges as a trauma coping skill. Participants will learn basic treatment concepts for work with people with dissociative disorders Instructor: Liane Nelson, Ph.D.  Location: 141 N. Central Ave, Hartsdale ...
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Military & Veteran Resource Fair
Yonkers Public Library 1500 Central Avenue, Yonkers, NY, United StatesJoin us for a day of valuable resources, wellness services, career and education support, and fun activities for all. This is a family-friendly event with a canine therapy program, Boots & Paws, food, crafts, games, and raffle prizes! We can't wait to see you at this special event bringing together Veterans, military service members, their families, and local service providers for a day of community and connection.
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Food Pantry at WJCS Mary J. Blige Women’s Center
FeaturedMJB Women's Center 489 South Broadway, Yonkers, NY, United StatesThe WJCS Mary J. Blige Center in Yonkers is hosting a food pantry on the 2nd Tuesday of each month.
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New Rochelle WJCS Parent Child Center 25th Anniversary
New Rochelle Parent Child Center 79 7th St, New Rochelle, NY, United StatesJoin us for a joyful 25th Anniversary Celebration on October 21st from 10am to 12pm at the Boys and Girls Club in New Rochelle. We’ll have fun activities, music, and a pizza party! The WJCS Parent Child Center is a FREE early childhood learning program for children from birth to age 4, who attend along with their parents or caregivers. The program runs from October to May. Click here to register.    Â
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Psychiatric Advance Directive (PAD) – WJCS STAFF ONLY
ZoomA Psychiatric Advance Directive (PAD) is an instruction to be followed when a person isn’t able to make decisions regarding her/his physical or mental health treatment. Learn your responsibilities and the rights of people who create a PAD. Learn to use a PAD as an empowering wellness tool.
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Navigating Screens: Helping Our Little Ones Thrive, On And Offline
Congregation Kol Ami 252 Soundview Ave, White Plains, NY, United StatesLet’s empower our children to grow confidently in an increasingly digital world — together.
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Discussing Difficult Topics with Clients
ZoomDates & Times: 11/4/25 9-11am & 12/2/25 9-11am Enrollment Limited to: No limit Contact Hrs: 4 CEU’s: 4                                                                                                                                                Have you ever been uncomfortable discussing something sensitive with a client? In this two-part course, clinicians will learn how to engage in difficult conversations with their clients. The first session will cover general background on client- and therapist-interfering thoughts and behaviors that get in the way of approaching difficult conversations. We will use concepts from DBT and a framework for working with “resistance” and getting “unstuck.” The second session will focus more on practical application in the form ...
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Food Pantry at WJCS Mary J. Blige Women’s Center
FeaturedMJB Women's Center 489 South Broadway, Yonkers, NY, United StatesThe WJCS Mary J. Blige Center in Yonkers is hosting a food pantry on the 2nd Tuesday of each month.
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Organizational Skills Training
ZoomParticipants will learn about the essential components of OST and how to use the published treatment manual to address their clients’ organizational difficulties.
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Food Pantry at WJCS Mary J. Blige Women’s Center
FeaturedMJB Women's Center 489 South Broadway, Yonkers, NY, United StatesThe WJCS Mary J. Blige Center in Yonkers is hosting a food pantry on the 2nd Tuesday of each month.
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Edythe Kurz Educational Institute Conference 2025
ZoomThe Annual 2025 WJCS Kurz Conference will explore how digital environments influence the mental health and emotional development of adolescents and young adults. While technology offers connection and creativity, it can also intensify stress, loneliness, and self-comparison. A focus will be the relationship between screen time, social media use, and mental well-being, with a focus on mental health, self-esteem, and identity development.
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Food Pantry at WJCS Mary J. Blige Women’s Center
FeaturedMJB Women's Center 489 South Broadway, Yonkers, NY, United StatesThe WJCS Mary J. Blige Center in Yonkers is hosting a food pantry on the 2nd Tuesday of each month.
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Food Pantry at WJCS Mary J. Blige Women’s Center
FeaturedMJB Women's Center 489 South Broadway, Yonkers, NY, United StatesThe WJCS Mary J. Blige Center in Yonkers is hosting a food pantry on the 2nd Tuesday of each month.
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Family Volunteer Event: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
WJCS HQ 845 North Broadway, White Plains, NYOn Monday, January 19, 2026, in celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr., WJCS is hosting a Family Volunteer Event. We are inviting families with children of all ages to participate in collecting nonperishable food items and packing “Winter Hug” care packages with soup, cocoa, hats, and mittens for the Westchester community. This is a great opportunity for families to bond and teach children the values of volunteerism and helping others. Our Westchester families need our help now more than ever. With the rising cost of EVERYTHING and the reduction in support and benefits, families are struggling to buy food. Our school-based clinicians ...
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Theories & Practices to Support Clinicians Working with Grieving Clients
ZoomThe current course aims to provide clinicians with a grounding in psychoeducation and theory behind grief responses in order to increase clinician confidence in working with clients who are experiencing bereavement. Additionally, this course will provide clinicians with examples of and hands-on practice with activities they can use in session to help support clients on their journey through grief and healing. At the close of each day of the course, space will be provided for clinicians to process their thoughts and feelings related to working with grieving clients in an effort to normalize conversation about death and dying and dispel some of the discomfort or concern about supporting grieving clients.
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Understanding the Role of Peer Specialists
ZoomEnrollment Limited To: 20 Contact Hrs: 1.5 CEUs: 1.5 Method: Lecture Learning Objectives: Participants will learn the origins of peer support. Participants will learn the nature of the role and how it intersects with other roles in mental health clinics. Participants will learn the aspects of a recovery-oriented culture. Instructor: Jeremy M. Reuling, LCSW, NYCPS, CPRP Location: Zoom Cost for non-WJCS staff: $75 CLICK HERE TO REGISTER Westchester Jewish Community Services is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0101, and by the New York ...
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Trauma Treatment Across the Lifespan
Clinicians are likely to encounter survivors of trauma in their practice. In addition to clients who meet criteria for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders from single traumatic events, survivors of complex and early developmental attachment trauma may also present more complex clinical pictures.
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Food Pantry at WJCS Mary J. Blige Women’s Center
FeaturedMJB Women's Center 489 South Broadway, Yonkers, NY, United StatesThe WJCS Mary J. Blige Center in Yonkers is hosting a food pantry on the 2nd Tuesday of each month.
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Client Alliance, Compliance & Therapist Burn Out
ZoomMental health professionals, perhaps now more than ever, are susceptible to stress and burn out directly related to their job responsibilities. Part of this comes from defining our professional selves based on what we are told our roles should be and what we should be able to accomplish rather than a realistic appraisal of situations and settings.
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Hoarding Disorder: What Clinicians Need to Know
ZoomIt is estimated that 2%-6% of the population suffers from hoarding disorder. Across two sessions, this course will review the common mechanisms associated with the development of hoarding disorder as well as how to recognize, assess, and treat hoarding disorder. The course will also provide an overview of a newly developed eight-week specialty treatment program for hoarding disorder that can be effectively delivered both in office or via telehealth in standard length psychotherapy sessions.
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Food Pantry at WJCS Mary J. Blige Women’s Center
FeaturedMJB Women's Center 489 South Broadway, Yonkers, NY, United StatesThe WJCS Mary J. Blige Center in Yonkers is hosting a food pantry on the 2nd Tuesday of each month.
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Dr. Samuel Kahn Memorial Lecture 2026
ZoomDr. Elana Spira, WJCS Director of Research and Evaluation, will review diagnostic features of ADHD, focusing on variations across different subtypes and developmental periods, along with evidence-based guidance for assessment and intervention across the lifespan.
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Grief Special Topics: Ambiguous Loss, Disenfranchised Grief (WJCS Staff Only)
ZoomLosses are ever-present in our lives, yet those that don’t involve death are often overlooked by clients, clinicians, and communities. Join us and deepen your grief-informed practice by considering the many ways your clients experience loss. This training clarifies core concepts such as Ambiguous Loss and Disenfranchised Grief and examines real-world examples across a broad spectrum of client experiences (including trauma, adoption, foster care, divorce, estrangement, immigration, deportation, forced migration, incarceration, brain injury, mental illness, developmental disabilities, gender and sexuality, aging, and caregiving). You will learn practical intervention strategies and principles for working with clients facing ambiguous losses and disenfranchised grief.