Supporting Families in Integrated Behavioral Health Care

When someone you care about is struggling with alcoholism, substance use, mental health and well-being, finances, employment, or housing, I suspect you will feel compelled to get them support. You may even want to be involved and see them through to the other side of their challenges. As a...

Intersectionality in Behavioral Health: Serving Those with Membership in Multiple Stigmatized Groups

What are your social identities? How do you identify and how does the world see you? “Intersectionality, a term coined by legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw, emphasizes the “multidimensionality” of oppressed people’s lived experiences and recognizes how various types of oppression frequently...

Evolution and Innovation in Care

As a newly licensed master social worker, I began my career in a health center of a major New York City hospital system in 2007. Addiction and substance use, mental health, and comprehensive medical care were all provided within the center. Joining The Guidance Center of Westchester (TGCW) 12 years...

Early Childhood Mental Health Clinic: Unmasking Social-Emotional Needs in Young Children

Think about this: a child who turned 5 years old in March 2022 will have spent 60% of their young life in the age of COVID. Most, if not all, of the child's active memories will be a time when traveling outside the home means wearing a mask. They were told that masks keep them safe; masks protect...

From Seeding to Eating: A Program Grows With Volunteerism

In her own words, Kathy Hagendorf, a two-decade volunteer leader with The Guidance Center of Westchester (TGCW), shares how her passion for gardening has helped participants in the Personalized Recovery-Oriented (PROS) program learn, work, and thrive. One of the true joys of summer for me is...

Personalized Recovery-Oriented Services in the Era of Social Distancing

Personalized Recovery-Oriented Services (PROS) is a program which evolves around increased socialization, togetherness, and connections. Our group classes at The Guidance Center of Westchester (TGCW) are lively, and our participants thrive in an environment where they learn and gain support from...

Overcoming the Stigma of Mental Health in Housing

The stigmatization of mental illness continues to be the primary and most significant problem facing participants who are in search of affordable housing options. Persons with mental illness have long experienced stigma from society impacting their pursuit of employment opportunities, housing,...