Volume 12, Number 44
cheshirecitizen.com
Thursday, November 4, 2021
COUNSELING SERVICES
A friendly place to give or get items online
Providers deal with increased demand
By Joy VanderLek The Cheshire Citizen
By Jessica Simms Special to the Record-Journal
Need a Keurig coffee maker? Want to expand your selection of holiday decorations for Thanksgiving or Christmas? Are you looking for a gate for the dogs or a princess tent for the kids?
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the need for psychotherapy has increased, causing small practices and larger health care providers to adapt to the demand.
You can find these items and more, online at “Buy Nothing, Cheshire.” Best of all, everything is free. Page owner Chris Affie began this Facebook group about four years ago and it took off.
The Overall Best winner in the “Here Comes the Scarecrows” contest was the entry “Anubis” by Alderson Funeral Home, 615 S. Main St.
“We currently have about 2,900 members. It is hard to estimate but we do have between 100 to 200 posts a day,” Affie said.
Scarecrow contest raises $2,400 for arts & community services
The concept came from a fellow Cheshire resident, said Affie. However, while that person wanted to launch the page, they did not want to be the page moderator; which can be time-consuming.
Awards for the “Here Comes the Scarecrows” contest were handed out to more than 30 individuals and groups Sunday afternoon, Oct. 24, outside of Cheshire Town Hall. A total of 99 scarecrows were entered into the contest and the event raised $2,400, which will be evenly divided between Cheshire Human Services and Ball and Socket Arts.
So Affie stepped in. “I had no idea it would grow this big,” Affie said, adding he’s proud this group makes a difference. “It reduces the amount of waste that is taken to a transfer station.” The purpose of the page is to let Cheshire residents request or browse through items that See Online, A3
Presenters from Artsplace, Cheshire Performing Fine Arts, the Cheshire Public Library and the Cheshire Chamber of Commerce gave out awards in a number of categories, including youth and business classifications. Winners included: Best Overall, “Anubis,” Alderson Funeral Home; Best Message, “The Heart of St. Bridget School,”
“Both the number of people coming to therapy and the number of people attempting to come are frustrated ... practices are overwhelmed,” said Herbert Jay Rosenfield, licensed clinical social worker, founder and director of Adolescent & Family Counseling Center in Cheshire. COVID-19 has created additional stressors in people’s lives, which has caused more people to seek therapy.
St. Bridget; Scariest, “Wicked Witch,” Cheshire Nursery; Silliest, “CT Coastal Scarecrows,” CT Coastal OB-Gyn; Best Use of Materials, “Sunny the Owl,” Red Owl; Best Halloween Theme, “The Pizza Man,” Pops Pizza; Most Artistic, “Paint & Sip,” Mixville Road; Most Resembles a Famous Person or Character, “Elvis”; Most Creative, “Foxy on Timberlane”; Best Business Marketing, East Coast Mechanical; Scarecrow to Bring the Most Smiles, “Benjamin the Dancing Bear”; Best Hometown Scarecrow, “Spirit’s from Cheshire Past,” Cheshire Historical Society; Most Glamorous, “Sugar & Spice Disco Fever”; Most Whimsical, “Coalition for Sustainable Cheshire”; Best Youth Effort, “Need for Speed,” Boy Scout Pack 114; Best Tells a Story,
“It really has continued to disrupt lives and impact the way business has been done as we once knew it,” said Elizabeth Calandra, therapist at Silver City Counseling in Meriden. “It seems as though our sense of security has been compromised and we really don’t know what to expect day to day ... COVID has taken a toll on people’s relationships, employment, the ability to socialize with family and friends, people have been more isolated and disconnected ... And connectedness is key. We need to feel connected.”
See Contest, A3
See Psychotherapy, A2