Services & Specialty Centers

South Nassau Communities Hospital

Behavioral Health Services

If you, a loved one or friend is suffering from a persistent emotional problem, we're here to help. For more than 30 years, South Nassau has been dedicated to alleviating emotional distress caused by mental illness, substance abuse, unfortunate tragedies, job and family stress and medical illness.

Led by Stanley Reddy, M.D., Chairman, Psychiatry and Thomas Demaria, PhD, Assistant Vice-President, Behavioral Health Services, our Behavioral Health Services and leadership have earned numerous awards for innovative and quality programs.


Behavioral Health Unit Expansion

Designed to enhance the interaction between our patients, staff and their families, our new Behavioral Health Unit offers:

  • Comfortable patient and family waiting areas, staffed by a knowledgeable, caring guest relations professional who can answer questions, convey information and address concerns.
  • Additional Space with 36 beds and 4 private rooms.
  • Indoor and outdoor activity spaces, including beautiful, comforting landscaped courtyards.

Counseling & Education

Coping with the stress caused by unfortunate tragedies, job and family situations, and medical illness can be tough. Our counseling and education services are designed to help make it a little easier with:

  • Educational workshops on a wide variety of topics such as personal stress management, parenting, depression, workplace stress and women's health, as well as free screenings for depression and anxiety.
  • Free support groups for those affected by Bereavement, Breast Cancer, Chronic Pain, Long-Term Loss, Divorced & Separated Marriages, Family Mental Illness and Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and more.

We also offer innovative programs for families impacted by unfortunate tragedies via:

  • SIBSPlace (Survivorship in Brothers and Sisters)
    Brothers and sisters whose lives have been disrupted by a seriously-ill sibling are turning to a unique center created to help them cope with the family disruption, and often times overwhelming stress, in their lives. SIBSPlace is a free support program of South Nassau Communities Hospital. The goal of the program is to prevent the loss of a normal childhood because of a sibling suffering with cancer or other type of devastating illness. The only program of its kind in the United States, it is available to all children ages 5-17. SIBSPlace provides a comprehensive program of support and guided recreation in which personal needs, unexpressed feelings and confusing experiences can be addressed. A typical visit includes play, arts and crafts, psychoeducational group interaction, mentoring and tutoring. Other special activities include animal-assisted therapy and field trips to local attractions.
  • World Trade Center Family Center
    A free program created to provide bereavement counseling services to people who lost family members as a result of the terrorist attacks of 9/11/01. Programs and activities are designed to support children’s and adults resilience and coping skills and to strengthen family bonds. Over 1,000 adults and 500 children have been served.
  • Home Ground Program
    A free outreach and counseling program for WTC rescue and recovery workers and their families. Our mission is to create opportunities for rescue and recovery personnel who worked actively on 9/11 and its aftermath to come together with their peers to share experiences and discuss their current and future needs. This program is also free of charge and has served several thousand responders and their families. Home Ground offers outreach and counseling throughout Nassau and Suffolk to recovery workers and their families.
  • School Grant – "Trauma Training for Caregivers"
    This program provides educational outreach to local school districts and community caregivers including family pediatricians and faith-based leaders to help staff identify children who may be suffering long-term trauma from 9/11. Free workshops, screening and counseling are provided as part of this Red Cross funded Program.
  • Clinical Trials Research
    South Nassau Communities Hospital participates in a wide variety of psychiatric medication research projects studying the effects of different medications on psychiatric problems in children and adults.
  • Community Trauma Counseling
    South Nassau Communities Hospital has responded to over 250 small and large community disasters since our community training program started in 1993. Our team has won regional and international recognition for its efforts from a variety of groups including the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies and the American Red Cross. South Nassau Communities Hospital teams were recently deployed to Mississippi and Texas to assist in Hurricane Katrina counseling efforts.

Mental Health Counseling Center

Quality and effective behavioral health services tailored to meet the specific needs of the individual and their family: That's the role of our Counseling Center.

Located in Baldwin, the Center offers a wide range of outpatient services involving more than 45 professionals representing the disciplines of psychiatry, psychology, social work, nursing, marriage and family therapy and activities therapy. A variety of modalities are available including individual, group and family psychotherapy. Specialized services for depression, anxiety and childhood emotional disorders are available.

  • Adult Psychotherapy Program. Therapy is available on an individual or group basis, as well as for married couples.
  • Family and Children's' Program. Individual, group and family psychotherapy for children and their families.
  • Behavioral Medicine Program. For patients whose medical conditions are affected by stress and their emotional concerns.
  • Partial Hospitalization Program. Intensive therapy, support and medication monitoring for patients, this is an alternative to Inpatient Psychiatric Hospitalization.
  • Intensive Outpatient Program. Intensive therapeutic program for patients with psychiatric symptoms who would benefit from group and/or individual therapy and medication management.

Psychiatric Services

Help for a person in crisis is available 24 hours a day/seven days a week in South Nassau's Emergency Services department. A team of dedicated psychiatrists help assess whether the person poses a danger to himself and/or others, and the best course of treatment, whether it may be through our:

  • Psychiatric Practice. Our team of Board Certified Psychiatrists is available for psychiatric evaluations, medication management and consultations.
  • In-Patient Psychiatric Services. In our 30-bed, short-term inpatient Behavioral Health Unit, we provide rapid stabilization for a wide range of acute psychiatric conditions. Patients receive psychiatric and psychological consultation during their hospital stay to alleviate distress and pain.

Substance Abuse

The Oceanside Counseling Center provides supportive, skills-building and rehabilitative services for the treatment of alcohol and drug abuse, as well as other compulsive behaviors.

Licensed by New York State, our program offers a range of services designed for men, women and children and their families who are suffering from the debilitating consequences of addiction.