Look at these fun and fabulous monsters! They were created by children ages 7-12 years old who are clients at our Cohen Family Wellness Center in Woodside, Queens. The idea behind them, according to Mental Health Counselor Rashel Paula, MHC-LP, was to “pair a narrative-therapy externalization activity with mindfulness-based coping skills: Children give a worry a silly monster form, practice talking back to anxious thoughts, and learn coping skills for anxiety.” The children e

From left to right: Sixth-grader Miracle, ninth-grader Kendell, and sixth-grader Carlos planting the first seeds. If it’s Sunday, it’s a day in the garden at Ocean Bay Cornerstone Community Center! It all began on July 26, when participants ranging in age from 11 to 14 planted their first seeds: string beans. Since then, they’ve been returning every Sunday for what has become known as Horticulture Sundays. “The participants very much enjoyed themselves and look forward to ret

My family has been part of The Child Center of NY since my son, Luka, was just three weeks old. He is now 2 and a half, and he is enrolled in Early Head Start in Astoria. Before that, I was part of the perinatal program in Flushing. It has been such an important part of our lives, and I truly feel like The Child Center is my family here. My husband and I came to the United States for our honeymoon. When COVID happened, we couldn't find a place on a plane to go home. We ended