Community News
Dr. Robert Wernick is Honored as a Fellow of the American Psychological Association
The American Psychological Association (APA) recently elected Dr. Robert Wernick to Fellow Status for his outstanding contribution to the field of psychology. Fellow status requires that an individual psychologist’s work have had a national impact on the discipline beyond a local, state or regional level. Dr. Wernick was recognized for his substantial accomplishments in the practice of professional psychology and his certificate reads, “The field of psychology is certainly enhanced by your diligent work and commitment, and the public is better served.”
Only 3% of the psychologists who are members of APA are elected to Fellow Status and BHI is certainly proud of our APA Fellow!
BHI WELCOMES DR. JACLYN POLSKY
BHI is excited to announce that Dr. Jaclyn Polsky has joined our practice as a post-doctoral resident in psychology.
Dr. Polsky completed her internship and graduated from Nova Southeastern University with her Doctorate in Psychology.
She is a provisionally licensed Florida psychologist and will be working under supervision for a year in order to
complete the final requirement for licensure. This is the first time that BHI has provided a residency position and
is indicative of our commitment to further the profession of Psychology.
Dr. Polsky is a warm and caring professional who has expertise in treating a wide range of clinical problems in children, adolescents, couples and older adults. She also does psychological evaluations with adults and children, including assessment of ADD/ADHD, memory testing and screening for dementia, as well as gifted testing. As part of our commitment to training, we are able to offer a limited reduced fee schedule to make psychological care more affordable.
Dr. Polsky also has extensive training in group therapy and we are planning to expand our practice in this area in the future. Watch for updates on this.
As a graduate of JP Taravella High School, Dr. Polsky is also happy to be working as a professional in the community where she grew up. We hope you will join us in welcoming Dr. Polsky to BHI and back to Coral Springs.
BHI PSYCHOLOGISTS ATTEND AFCC CONFERENCE
Drs. Ellie Nelson-Wernick, Robert Wernick, Melissa Harrison and Elaine Karbonik are all members of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC). They attended the AFCC Annual Conference which was held June 1-4 at the Hilton Bonnet Creek Conference Center in Orlando, FL.
AFCC is an international organization of lawyers, judges, financial and mental health professionals who are dedicated to improving the lives of children and families through the resolution of family conflict. The conference provided an opportunity for these BHI Psychologists to attend formal educational workshops taught by leading experts in the field, and allowing them to stay current on the changing laws and procedures related to family law. Topics at the conference included Collaborative Divorce, dealing with high conflict parents, parenting plans, social investigations, domestic violence, co-parenting communication, and working as team members. In addition, they were also able to network informally with these experts to share knowledge and experience.
For years, the clinicians at BHI have been helping adults and children going through divorce and separation to make the adjustments this life event requires. More recently, BHI has expanded their FITness Services – for Families in Transition – to better serve clients. The goals are consistent with those of the newer laws in Florida which aim to make "the best interests of the child" the priority.
If you or someone you know are going through this transition, please contact the BHI office at 954.340.0888 or bhinstitute@aol.com to request a FITness Services brochure, and learn more about these services.
BHI PRESENTS
BHI is participating in a series of community talks through Baptist Health. In June, Dr. Melissa Harrison presented The Unfocused Child: Understanding and Helping Children with ADHD and in August Dr. Ellie Nelson-Wernick presented How to Manage Anxiety and Stress, at Baptist Medical Plaza in Coral Springs. More talks will be scheduled in the coming months
Also in June, Dr. Ellie Nelson-Wernick and Dr. Michael Coupland, of Physician Best Practices, co-presented Psychosocial Risk Factors for Chronic Pain and Delayed Recovery to professional staff of CorVel Workers’ Compensation.
RICK DAVID SERVES AS KIWANIS PRESIDENT
Rick David is not only a dedicated mental health counselor, but is a committed member of his community. He has been an active volunteer with the Kiwanis Club of Delray for a number of years and was re- elected for his third term as President (2004 – 2005, 2009 – 2010, and 2010 – 2011).
DR. MELISSA HARRISON LENDS HER EXPERTISE
Dr. Melissa Harrison was asked to write the foreword for a recently published book on autism, entitled Big Daddy’s Tales from the Lighter Side of Raising a Child with Autism by F. Stark Lewis. Dr. Harrison highly recommends this book to all families of autism-related disorders because it offers hope by showing how humor and acceptance are effective ways of coping with the challenges of autism. This book is also recommended reading for professionals who assist these children and their families, not only so they can add the book to their biblio-therapy collection and recommend it to families, but also to better understand the daily challenges that these families face. For more information about this encouraging book, go to http://www.amazon.com/Daddys-Tales-Lighter-Raising-Autism/dp/1456565826
Dr. Harrison also served as an expert on Cyberbullying, and was recently interviewed for a documentary being made on the subject. Register for our BHI E-newsletter to read her article on Important Things to Know about Cyberbullying. Please click here to register.
BHI SUPPORTS THE COMMUNITY AS A PASS IT ON SPONSOR
Pass It On is a 501 (c) (3) not for profit organization whose mission is to help young people develop into self-sufficient citizens and leaders through education, life-skills training, and community involvement.
Over the past few years, BHI has been a proud sponsor of Pass It On, helping to raise funds for their scholarships, and volunteering hours to assist young adults who are aging-out of the foster care system. For more information go to www.PassItOnNow.org.
BHI GIVES BACK –
NATIONAL DEPRESSION SCREENING DAY
On October 4 and 6, 2011, Drs. Todd Giardina and Jaclyn Polsky represented BHI and partnered with Coral Springs
Medical Center to offer Depression Screening to the community. They also presented information about symptoms of
depression and other mood disorders, how to recognize depression in oneself and others, as well as effective
treatments that are available.
National Depression Screening Day is held annually during Mental Health Awareness Week in October. We thank Drs. Giardina and Polsky for volunteering their time for this important community service.
Guardian ad Litem (GAL) Training
Dr. Todd Giardina, Dr. Monica Pedemonte, Dr. Ellie Nelson-Wernick and Dr. Robert Wernick all completed training and are certified by the 17th Judicial Circuit Court of FL, Broward Co. as guardians ad litem. A GAL is an advocate for children who are involved in the Dependency Court system due to being victims of abuse or neglect. Many of these children are in foster care, and the GAL volunteer works to ensure that a safe, permanent home is found for these kids. The GAL shares with the Court the child’s wishes and makes recommendations about what is in the best interest of the child.
In addition to our volunteer work in Dependency Court, we are available to serve as GAL’s in Family Court. GAL’s are most often assigned on cases where there is high conflict between parents and the children are caught in the middle.