b"ful to others, she says. In addition to '' her work in an alcohol and drug detox program, Pressel brought another valu-able skill to Maplewoodexperience working with municipal governments and in coordinating municipal alliance grants focusing on mental health and the prevention of substance abuse dis-orders. It is impossible to provide a simple answeraboutEustacheandPresselsFLEXIBLE 3, 4 AND 5 DAY PROGRAMS daily routine, both agreed. The typeEXTENDED DAY HOURS 8AM-6PM of situations we encounter are so var-ied and the assistance we provide is soINNOVATIVE AND PROGRESSIVE CURRICULUM individualized, Pressel says. Its very IN A NURTURING AND STIMULATING ENVIRONMENT Albert Sally, Maplewoods chief of police,dependent upon a persons immediate says of the social workers, My philosophyBRAND NEW STATE OF THE ART FACILITY is that if theres a person who can handleneeds. [a crisis situation], I dont mind handing offDafis says that the townships long-to them. term goal for the social workers is to have them become an independent de-partment that will be able to respond tianAmericans.Eustachesaysthat,to calls through its own mobile unit in her experience, in Haitian culture,and dispatch. mental health is taboo. You can clear-ly tell when someone is going through something, but they kind of just go on FRUMIE BOGOMILSKY - DIRECTOR with life and suppress it. MS EARLY CHILDHOOD SP.EDFOR MORE INFORMATION: Eustache did not intentionally pur-973-763-7455 | WWW.KINDERGANPRESCHOOL.ORG sue social work until she ended up in anintroductiontosociologyclassat the College of New Jersey. I fell in love with it, she says. BothEustacheandPresselhave spent the bulk of their careers helping people with mental health care needs. Eustachereceivedhermastersinso-May your thirst cialwork(MSW)fromSetonHall Dina Pressel works part-time for Maple-for life Universityin2020.Sincethen,shewood as a crisis intervention social worker. never run dry has worked as a clinician and assistantHer position is funded by settlement funds program coordinator at an adolescentfrom the state of New Jersey that are intended to help municipalities combat Experience the best of group home and at Trinitas Hospitalopioid abuse.Irelands Pub traditions in Elizabeth, where she worked with Family FriendlyNewJerseysInvoluntaryOutpatientFor now, Eustache and Pressel do Good Cheer Commitmentprogram,whichpro- not take direct calls unless it is from videsmentalhealthtreatmenttoin- someone who needs help applying for dividualswhohavebeenorderedbysocial services. Eustache advises that if Oktoberfest Menu,a court to seek that treatment. In thatyou or someone you know is experi-Beers and Wine! job she worked with many immigrantsencing a mental health crisis, first call who, like her, had grown up without911. The [police or EMS] can go and speakingaboutmentalhealthissues.assessforsafetyfirst,Eustachesays. Your Choice! Just being able to advocate for them,The first responders will then request Dine with us Indoors beingabletoshedlightandgivingthat either Eustache or Pressel respond Authentic Irish Cuisine, Irish Coffee, Fine Wines and Irish Whiskey or in our Outdoor Tent them that safe space, Eustache says.to the call as well. worthy of Celtic Kings [Saying], Its OK to talk about it. ImIf you or someone you know is ex-167 Maplewood Avenue here. I understand. periencingsuicidalideation,Pressel Maplewood Village 973-378-2222 Pressel worked in other fields butsays, you should call 988, the national returned to university to get her MSWSuicide & Crisis Lifeline. You can also ST. JAMESS GATE APPAREL AND GIFT CARDS AVAILABLE when her children were in school. Iaccess them online at 988lifeline.org. stjamesgatemaplewood.com knewIwantedtopursueworkthatLela Moore is a freelance journalist in wasbothfulfillingtomeandhelp- Maplewood covering local government.34/ matters magazine / fall 2023"