(Courtesy of JFCS) Jewish Family and Children’s Services of Northern New Jersey (JFCS), located in Teaneck and Wayne, New Jersey, provides four core pillars of services—one of which is mental health services. Since the onset of COVID, the need for mental health services has sky-rocketed. Currently, JFCS, which is a licensed mental health agency, treats more than 600 clients a year. Our professional and experienced therapists provide adult, child, couple, family and group psychotherapy to anyone who needs it. JFCS offers both virtual and in-person therapy appointments. JFCS recently hired a psychiatric nurse practitioner in order to do evaluations and medication treatment and management for JFCS clients. JFCS accepts most insurances, and no one is ever turned away for their inability to pay.

As illustrated by the following first-person story, JFCS’s mental health services have helped, and continue to help, countless individuals and families:

“There’s nothing special or different about my family. At least, that’s how it looks from the outside. Like many families around the world, ours was hit hard by COVID-19, but while my husband and I struggled to keep all of our lives going in the right direction, it was my daughter who seemed to struggle the most.

“In 2019 my daughter started eighth grade. When COVID caused everything to shut down, we all assumed it wouldn’t last too long. But days led to weeks, which led to months, which led to over a year. And before we knew it, more than an entire school year had passed by through a Zoom window. When school fully opened back up in the spring of ninth grade, it was her first year of high school. We thought our daughter would be thrilled to go back to school, see her friends and live a ‘normal’ life again.

“But after being away from reality for so long, our daughter struggled not only with entering high school, but also with reintegrating back into her daily routines, friendships and relationships that she was so comfortable in before the pandemic. We were surprised to see our formerly happy daughter talk less and spend more time in her room, acting unusually irritable and seemingly falling into a depression. She used to tell us how excited she was to go back to school, but after her first week back, she barely wanted to get out of bed in the morning.

“Quite frankly, and almost embarrassingly, my husband and I didn’t know what to do. We didn’t know how to help our daughter. Then a friend of mine mentioned to me how much her son had recently been helped by his therapist at JFCS. We were really at a loss, so I thought, ‘Why not?’

To this day, I still thank my friend for recommending JFCS and their counseling services to us. From the first time I reached out to JFCS, my family and I have been treated with only the utmost respect and care. Thankfully, my daughter and her therapist had an instant connection, which made her feel comfortable expressing what was going on in her life. Her therapist even welcomed my husband and I into a family session where we learned how to better support our daughter in her time of need. Now I can feel confident saying that my daughter is back on the ‘right” track. Each day, I can see her feeling more and more comfortable living her young life that had been put on hold not too long ago.

“My deepest thanks and gratitude go out to JFCS, whose helping hand guided our daughter, and our whole family, back onto the path of peace and happiness.”

JFCS is known as a safety net for the northern New Jersey community. Through its dedicated team, discreet and private therapy sessions, affordability and overall expertise, JFCS is considered a reliable and dependable source of help for those with mental health struggles.

If you or someone you know is seeking professional mental health support, please contact intake at [email protected] or call 201-837-9090, x 233.

JFCS has two offices, located at 1485 Teaneck Road, Teaneck, NJ 07666 and 506 Hamburg Turnpike, Suite 102, Wayne, NJ 07470. JFCS is a 501(c)3. To learn more and/or to support our services, please visit our website www.jfcsnnj.org.