Adoptive Parents Committee – Hudson Region

Services Provided: Adoptive Parents Committee (APC) is a not-for-profit parents support group offering support to parents at all stages of their adoption journey. Please visit website to check-in for meeting times, a locations and other events for Hudson and Connecticut chapter. APC meetings are free and open to the public. Post adoption workshops, monthly meetings with pre and post adoption topics, social activities, and annual conference.


Family Service Society of Yonkers – Westchester Family Center

Services Provided:The TANF grant funds the establishment of The Westchester Family Center for all TANF-eligible pre-and post-adoptive families and kinship caregivers residing in Westchester County. Services are available in English and Spanish and include a family needs assessment, crisis intervention and brief counseling, educational advocacy and individual tutoring, and concrete supports around benefits and entitlements. These services can be provided at the agency offices, in a family’s home, or in community settings. A 14-week parenting skills course, based on the Strengthening Families curriculum, which includes a simultaneous children’s group, is offered at the Yonkers’ office; transportation & dinner are included. In addition, the program provides mental health screenings for all children ages 4 and up and substance abuse screenings for adolescents ages 12 and up. The Westchester Family Center has contracted with the Westchester Jewish Community Services mental health clinics and The Lexington Center for Recovery to provide ongoing services as needed at no additional cost. (Please note: if an individual or family is not eligible for the TANF program they will be referred out to appropriate community resources.)


Family Ties of Westchester

Services Provided: Multi-Service agency providing a variety of family support services and facilitated caregiver support groups at five resource centers throughout the county. The “Every Kid Counts “program provides support, advocacy and case management for families who have been involved with Child Protective Services, strives to keep children safe in successfully functioning families, and is currently available in the Mount Vernon and Peekskill communities. Grandparents Rock (Raising Our Childrens’ Children) provides activities, respite, and recreational programs to grandparents who are the primary caretakers for their grandchildren. See agency website and Resource Center locations, contact information, and support group schedules.


FRUA Hudson Valley New York

Service Provided: Local Chapter of Families for Russian and Ukrainian Adoption. FRUA focuses on international adoption support resources for families completed through adoption in Eastern European and Central Asian countries. FRUA provides a community that nurtures children and supports parents, family and adoption education resources, and the world-class FRUA National Education Conference.


Geraldine Brown

Services Provided: Experienced Foster and Adoptive Parent who is willing to provide information and support for other foster and adoptive families.

  • Address: 808 Tuckahoe Road #1A, Yonkers, NY 10710
  • Phone: 914-268-0624 (H), 937-470-1019 (C)
  • Email: b.geraldine816@gmail.com

Amy Hecht

Practice Setting: Private

Practice Name: Hecht Ribas GroupPractice
Services Provided: I work with adoptive families, parents both pre and post adoptive and adolescent through adult adoptees, birth families and families in reunion. Transracial and GLBT adoptive families are a special area of focus in my practice. I also provide psychological testing and assessment for prospective adoptive parents when required for international adoptions. I have been in practice for over 15 years and am both an adoptive parent and a member of an extended birth family.

  • Degrees/Licenses/Affiliations: PhD Clinical Psychology Gallaudet University. Licensed to practice in NY State and Florida
  • Insurance Accepted: Sliding scale
  • Address: 84 Tamarack Road Rye Brook, NY 10573
  • Phone: 917-439-8181
  • Email: dramyhecht@gmail.com

Hudson Valley DDSO – OPWDD

Services Provided: Family Support Services Coordinators are available at each of OPWDD’s regional Developmental Disabilities Services Offices (DDSOs) to help families access Family Support Services. Family Support Services can help in times of crisis when a family member or loved one becomes ill, or when things get difficult at home for other reasons. Find out more information about these services and supports by calling your local Family Support Services Coordinator. Support services may include: information and referral, family and individual counseling, recreation, after-school programs, support groups, transportation and specialized equipment and home modifications. Other contacts are Mary Newhard845-947-6335 and Claudia Spaziante 914-332-8958

  • Contact Person: Patricia Walker-Albertus
  • Phone: 845-947-6334
  • Website: www.opwdd.ny.gov

Hudson Valley Special Education Parent Center

Services Provided: The Hudson Valley Special Education Parent Center, located at Westchester Institute for Human Development, offers information and resources about the special education process to parents of children with disabilities in the Hudson Valley region and is funded by a grant from the New York State Education Department. Services include Hear Our Voices – Self Advocacy Group Meetings and Community Support Network Family Learning Series. Do you have questions about special education or concerns about your child’s program or services? Call us at 1.877.810.2422 or 914.493.7665. We can assist you in your native language.

  • Address: Cedarwood Hall, Valhalla, NY 10595
  • Phone: 887-810-2422/914-493-7665
  • Website: www.hvsepc.org

Spence-Chapin Services to Families and Children

Services Provided: Spence-Chapin serves all people connected to adoption. Adoption-competent, trauma & attachment-informed therapy services offered in our Manhattan office and via video chat throughout New York and New Jersey. In-person and virtual groups for kids and teens, adoptive parents, birth parents and adoptees. Live, virtual trainings for adoptive parents about parenting across race, talking about adoption, trauma-informed parenting and more. Affirming support for people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds, single parents, LGBTQ+ community. Please visit our website to learn more!


Westchester Resource for Adoption Program (WRAP)

Services Provided: Westchester Resource for Adoption Program (WRAP) adoption support program at Westchester Institute for Human Development. Monthly support groups for adoptive parents and children. Parent to parent connections, information and referral, library, training events and short term clinical consultation.