By now many of you have probably seen the television commercial featuring New York Yankees Manager Joe Torre and actor Susan Sarandon promoting Project Liberty, and encouraging New Yorkers to begin to "feel free to feel better." Project Liberty is a federally funded program established through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide outreach, personal contact and crisis counseling to survivors of the September 11, 2001 disaster. The Project Liberty Outreach and Crisis Counseling Program for Nassau County has been designed to serve as a community-based operation that will function as an adjunct for our citizens' natural support systems and directed toward assisting people in coping with the short-range and long term effects of the events of September 11, and any unforeseen acts of terrorism or future disasters.

Under the leadership and coordination of the Nassau County Department of Mental Health, several organizations throughout Nassau County have established Project Liberty programs. Central Nassau Guidance and Counseling Services is proud to have been selected to provide the Project Liberty Outreach and Crisis Counseling Program for the Southeast Region, to serve Hicksville, Bethpage, Syosset, Jericho, Old Bethpage, Plainview and its surrounding communities. The goals of our local program include assisting survivors in understanding their current situation and reactions, mitigate additional stress, assist persons to review their treatment and service options, promote improved coping strategies, provide short-term and immediate emotional support, and encourage referrals and linkages with other individual agencies who may assist survivors and others deeply affected to recover to their pre-disaster level of functioning. In essence, to help people "feel free to feel better."

Project Liberty is a free and confidential service. The focus of Project Liberty services is to provide face-to-face crisis counseling and support services to survivors and other people in their natural environments. For many these environments might include home, work, the railroad, or the local shopping mall. Locally, our organization will be working closely and cooperatively with allied organizations such as our local school system, religious institutions, businesses and corporations, and actively providing outreach to our local uniformed services. In addition to crisis counseling services and the provision of emotional support, Project Liberty will also offer group crisis counseling services and free, valuable educational material on a broad array of topics such as coping with the holidays, helping children deal with their feelings and addressing the impact of disasters upon the aged. The programs and services offered can help those survivors in need.

Today, all of us who have witnessed the events of September 11, 2001 are survivors. The images we have seen will forever be etched in our minds and in our hearts. We will all continue to cope with our feelings of loss, sadness, fear and uncertainty. But thanks to Project Liberty, we do not have to cope alone. For more information about Project Liberty call 1-800-LIFENET or log onto www.projectliberty.state.ny.us. Together we can truly begin to "feel free to feel better."

(Editor's Note: Central Nassau Guidance and Counseling Services, Inc. is a social service agency located at 950 South Oyster Bay Road, Hicksville. The agency serves the communities of Hicksville, Bethpage, Plainview and Levittown.)