By Kathianne Boniello
With the first anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks dominating life throughout the nation this week, Douglaston’s Pride of Judea Community Services has revived its drop-in center for those who need some help.
Pride of Judea, a mental health clinic affiliated with the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services, was one of the many organizations to establish mental health services for the public in the wake of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.
A year ago, Pride of Judea Director Paula Held Sharf said dealing with the effects of the World Trade Center was a top priority for the Douglaston agency and would be one “for as long as is needed.”
This week the Pride, as the community center is called, has reaffirmed that commitment by reopening its drop-in center, which includes free counseling for those still emotionally affected by the Sept. 11 attacks.
The Pride of Judea also joined with other Little Neck/Douglaston community groups to commemorate the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks in which 2,801 people died in Lower Manhattan with a community concert on Wednesday, Sept. 11.
St. Anastasia’s Church, Zion Episcopal Church, the Community Church of Douglaston and the Community Church of Little Neck have helped organize the concert, which was to be held at 8 p.m. at St. Anastasia’s in Douglaston.
The drop-in center will be established at the Pride’s headquarters at 243-03 Northern Blvd. in Douglaston and will be staffed by licensed clinicians trained in offering crisis support. The center will be open to everyone, according to the Pride, which said signs of emotional problems can include depression and traumatic stress disorder.
The Pride of Judea, which has been in Douglaston since 1972, offers a range of services from marriage counseling and parenting classes to crisis intervention and children’s services, as well as mental health counseling. In 1997 Pride of Judea merged with the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services, Held Sharf said, making the Pride a division of that board.
For more information about the Pride of Judea’s services, call the agency at 423-6200.
Reach reporter Kathianne Boniello by e-mail at Timesledgr@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 146.
