‘Vive Trinity Counseling,’ supporters cheer
By Christian Kirkpatrick Special Writer
There are few better ways to spend a long summer evening than strolling through a garden. Perhaps that’s why Trinity Counseling Service’s 26th annual Bastille Day Ball was titled “Reflections of Versailles.”
“We wanted to recall the opulence and beauty of the gardens of Versailles,” said co-chair Gabrielle Shamsey of Pennington. Obligingly, the grounds of Drumthwacket on July 12 presented a royal display. Roses, daylilies, lavender and buddleia all looked their best, framed by carefully clipped hedges and gently terraced grounds.
Local high school students also contributed to the scene with paintings and sculpture inspired by gardens and French court life. Arranged in a large circle, 30 charming and well-executed works by students from The Hun School, The Pennington School, Princeton High School, Stuart Country Day School and Hopewell Valley Central High School created a casual art gallery on Drumthwacket’s grounds. Guests could bid on these works as they would have items in any other silent auction.
Considering that TCS does much of its work with young people, it was very appropriate that youngsters participated in the gala. As co-chair Annie Carden of Princeton noted, the Bastille Day Ball was “a wonderful occasion to bring the community together for a very important cause.”
Co-chair Alison Beers agreed. TCS is a generous and hard-working mental-health agency providing care to all, regardless of their ability to pay, she explained. Last year it held more than 400 counseling sessions per week. This is a remarkable record, noted the Pennington resident, particularly during hard economic times.
Thirteen percent of TCS’s patients pay nothing for their care, and 67 percent receive financial aid, noted the Rev. Peter K. Stimpson, the agency’s executive director. To cover these costs, TCS receives no federal, state or county aid. Not even the United Way helps out. “That’s why we raise money,” he said, referring to the Bastille Day Ball.
TCS is a hybrid agency, he explained. In addition to accepting insurance reimbursements, it provides mental-health counseling to uninsured patients on a sliding scale — and often its help is free of charge.
TCS’s licensed psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers, counselors and pastoral counselors provide a wide range of services. They offer individual and family therapy, marriage counseling and enrichment, and workshops on such topics as effective parenting and stress management.
One of TCS’s most visible roles is as the sponsor of the Childhood Intervention Project, through which it works with the Princeton Nursery School and the Princeton Regional School System to identify and treat behavioral and developmental problems as they emerge in local youngsters attending pre-K through 12th grade.
Dr. Molly Palmer is head of the project. Observing children as they learn and play at the Princeton Nursery School, she looks for slow developmental, problems with language and difficulty with basic activities, such as dressing, eating or peer interaction. When she notices that a child is developing a problem, she first talks to his or her teachers, suggesting strategies for addressing it. If more help is needed, she refers the child and his or her family to a TCS therapist for counseling.
“Statistically, this is a population that is vulnerable,” observed Dr. Palmer. Many of the children at the Princeton Nursery School are recent immigrants living in poverty. “If you can intervene before their problems develop, you can prevent them.”
Child study teams in the Princeton Regional Schools also refer children to TCS for counseling. Often TCS provides family therapy in these cases, as well.
“This is not a typical social service agency,” she observed. “It is very professional and has a strong focus on patient care. Patients are treated with total respect.”
“It’s a privilege to work here,” commented Holly Nemiroff, a counselor for TCS for 10 years. “It has a very supportive staff and is welcoming to clients. I can’t say enough about the organization.”
Attended by some 300 guests, Saturday night’s dinner dance marked the 40th anniversary of TCS. The event’s underwriters included Bristol-Myers Squibb, The Sierra Foundation, Merrill Lynch, and Saul Ewing, LLP.
On the Web: www.trinitycounseling.org.