A program on “Retooling Mental Health Models for Racial Relevance” will be discussed at the May 24 meeting of the Geriatric Mental Health Coalition of Westchester County’s Department of Senior Programs and Services.

The event will take place at St. Vincent’s Hospital, 75 North St., Harrison from 8:30 a.m. to noon.

Participants will explore the fact that the dominant culture has traditionally defined what is “normal.”  Mental health practitioners, in turn, have used that definition to determine who is healthy and who is not; how they think families should function, and when and if mental health interventions should occur. By analyzing racial oppression, however, professionals can review what they “know” through another set of lenses.

Seating is limited so early reservations are advised.

To sign up, call (914) 813-6454 by May 17 and send a $15 check payable to the Westchester Public/Private Partnership for Aging Services to:

Westchester Public/Private Partnership for Aging Services
9 S. First Ave.,10th floor
Mount Vernon, N.Y. 10550

The program will feature three presenters: Sandra Bernabei, LCSW, CASAC; Cynthia Bowser, LCSW and Gail Kadison Golden, LCSW, Ph.D.

Bernabei is a self-employed psychotherapist in private practice. She is also a community organizer in Westchester and New York City and a consultant to various organizations. Bowser is Case Manager of the Department of Social Services in the Town of Greenburgh.

Golden has been the clinical director of the Volunteer Counseling Service and a community activist for more than 30 years. She also serves as a board member of the New York Civil Liberties Union.

The program is hosted by St. Vincent’s Hospital and co-sponsored by Westchester County’s Department of Senior Programs and Services and the Westchester Public/Private Partnership for Aging Services.