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Treatment > Our Treatment Services

Our Treatment Services for Seniors

Senior citizens make up one of the largest population groups in our society. They are, however, one of the smallest groups of people receiving mental health treatment.

The aging process makes demands on us emotionally, socially and physically. Frequently, we must adapt to losses in many areas of our lives. Too often, mental health symptoms such as depression, anxiety or fearfulness are seen as a normal part of the aging process. These symptoms are somehow expected, and people do not get the mental health treatment they need to adjust in healthy, more comfortable ways, to life’s transitions.

Is It For Me?

For many senior citizens, this may be the first time that mental health treatment has been considered. The following list may help you decide whether therapy is for you or your loved one:

You feel very sad or depressed over a period of time
You have thoughts of hurting yourself or others
You worry or are fearful in ways that interfere with your life
You have difficulty managing angry, aggressive feelings
You feel uninterested in activities that you looked forward to in the past
You have suffered a trauma, such as an accident, a robbery or abuse
You have experienced recent changes in concentration including difficulty paying attention or concentrating
You have trouble sleeping or sleep too much of the time
You have lost your appetite or find you are eating too much
You have a past history of a mental illness
You are impacted by chronic illness - your own or a loved one, especially if you are the caregiver
You are having difficulty coping with the death of a loved one
You are having difficulty coping with a recent major life change (such as retirement or children or grandchildren moving into or out of your home)
You feel you need therapy to deal with the stress in your life

If you think any of these symptoms are a result of medication or a medical condition, please be sure to discuss them with your doctor. They may be side effects of medications that will diminish over time, or they may need to be addressed.

What We Deliver

Our clinics are licensed by the New York State Office of Mental Health and provide individual, family and group therapy for senior citizens. Medication therapy may be a part of any of these treatments. Specialized treatment is available for seniors with depression, anxiety, trauma histories, those dealing with their own or a family member’s serious illness, those coping with the death of someone close, those raising grandchildren, and those with more serious mental illnesses.

Individual Psychotherapy for Seniors
Individual treatment is a one-to-one meeting with a therapist in which problems and goals identified by yourself and your therapist are addressed. An individual session typically lasts 45-60 minutes. For a further description of the therapy process, please see the section entitled What To Expect From Mental Health Treatment.

Medication Therapy For Seniors
A person meets with a psychiatrist to decide whether medication may be helpful in reducing stressful feelings or behaviors. A psychiatrist is a medical doctor specially trained to work with psychological and behavioral difficulties. For more information on medication therapy, please see the section entitled, What To Expect From Mental Health Treatment.

Group Treatment for Seniors
Group treatment is a way of addressing problems with others who share similar difficulties. A therapist leads the group discussion and makes sure that all group members have the opportunity to participate and feel safe in the group. Our Northern Westchester Counseling Center offers the following group based on community interest and/or demand:

The Grandparents’ Group is for older adults who are caring for grandchildren. This group meets one night a week for 90 minutes. (See below for the Clinic’s location and phone number)

Family Treatment for Seniors
Family treatment looks at problems and solutions from a family point of view. In this treatment, a therapist works with family members together to explore and practice how family members can work together to meet each other’s needs and improve the way the family works.

Home-based Treatment for Seniors Raising Children/Grandchildren
Therapists work with seniors and with the children, if needed, in the families’ homes. Seniors are helped to identify the special needs of the children and develop effective parenting skills to address these needs. Therapists help seniors deal with schools and other agencies working with the children. These services are free of charge to those who qualify. For further information, please see the section on Partners in Parenting.

Stepping Together – Community Services for Latino Seniors; Caminando Juntos - Servicios de la Comunidad para Personas Latinas de la Tercera Edad
Caminando Juntos provides bilingual/bicultural mental health treatment and support services to Spanish-speaking older adults, which include referrals to other community agencies for assistance with housing, home care, financial and legal matters, nursing homes and assisted living facilities, employment and immigration, as well as information, support and advocacy to family caregivers caring for an ill relative. We serve Spanish-speaking older adults by providing social and emotional supports necessary for coping with the trauma of change, natural anxieties about aging, disability, illness, grief, and with difficulties or conflicts experienced in family, social, or peer relationships.

Where

We offer three treatment sites for seniors:

Northern Westchester Counseling Center
344 Main Street, Suite 301
Mount Kisco, NY 10549
914-666-4646

Click here for How Can I Get Here?

Sterling Center
2269 Saw Mill River Road, Building 1A
Elmsford, NY 10523
914-345-5900

Click here for How Can I Get Here?

Sterling Clinic
29 Sterling Avenue
White Plains, NY 10606
914-345-5900

Click here for How Can I Get Here?

We also offer home-based psychotherapy for seniors raising children through the PIP (Partners in Parenting) program. To learn if you are eligible for a therapist to come to your home, please call Program Coordinator Kimberly Naclerio at 914-666-4646, extension 121.

When

Our clinics are open Monday through Friday, beginning at 9:00 AM. There are evening hours every weekday except Friday. Please call the clinic most convenient to you for their evening hours.

The home-based programs provide services Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. You can reach these programs by calling 914-666-4646, extension 121.

All our treatment programs provide emergency coverage via a beeper system for weeknights and weekends. The clinics’ staff members are available to help with crises even when the clinics are closed.

Languages Spoken

Please contact individual sites for availability of a particular service in Spanish.

Cost

We accept many health insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid. For people without insurance, we have a sliding fee scale. (Please see the section entitled How Much Does Therapy Cost and Does My Health Insurance Cover This Expense? for additional information.)

No one is denied treatment services at our clinics because he or she is unable to pay standard fees.

Staff/Service Providers

Clinic staff who work with seniors in the clinics and in home-based treatment settings are master's level clinical social workers (CSW’s), doctoral-level psychologists (PhD’s, PsyD’s) or medical doctors (MD’s) who are trained as psychiatrists.

Our clinics have internships for advanced graduate students training to be therapists. These students are supervised by senior clinic staff members. Some people coming to the clinic work with these students. Persons may choose not to work with a student if they prefer.

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