April 26, 2016
Centenary Downtown Now Offers VetCenter Counseling on Tuesdays
Hours of operation are from 8 a.m. through 2 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Appointments need to be scheduled through the VetCenter of Bloomfield at (973) 748-0980 or the VetCenter of Secaucus at (201) 223-7787. Appointments are for Centenary students, as well as veterans in the Hackettstown community and beyond.
The Office of Veteran Services at Centenary University was established in Fall 2012 to provide valuable resources and services to Centenary veterans and the greater community. The one-stop depot for student veterans and veteran dependents attending the College is managed under the direction of Margie Pavlichko, Director of the Office of Veteran Services at Centenary. Under her management, services, resources and best practices continue to be developed and expanded to assist this student population in the transition to the academic arena. Pavlichko is also a member of the National Association of Veterans’ Program Administrators (NAVPA), an organization involved and interested in both the operation of veterans’ affairs programs and the delivery of services to veterans. Pavlichko is also a member of the New Jersey Association of Veterans Program Administrators (NJAVPA).
Counseling at the Centenary Downtown Office is provided by Neil Duffy and Judith Schaeffer-Benoit. Duffy is a highly decorated Marine Corps veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He served with Echo Battery 2/10 in Iraq, Okinawa, Fuji and the Phillippines, and ER relief after Hurricane Katrina in Slidell County, La. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from Rider University with a specialization in PTSD. He is also attending Rutgers University and is in his second year in the Master’s degree in Social Work progam.
Schaeffer-Benoit is a LCSW and a LMFT (Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist). She trained at the Gestalt Institute, the Institute of Psychiatry at the University of London and Rutgers University. She has been practicing family and marital therapy for 20+ years.
In addition to family or significant others of combat-arena veterans, as well as KIA, appointments are also available to support the following issues: suicide while in the military, military sexual trauma and support for family with the transition after military duty is completed.
“Having this relationship with the Vet Center of Bloomfield has been instrumental to providing additional support to veterans in this area,” says Margie Pavlichko. “I am so pleased that we are able to provide this service in collaboration and hope that combat-arena veterans and their family members continue to use this resource.”
Founded in 1867 by the Newark Conference of the United Methodist Church, Centenary University is an independent, coeducational liberal arts and career studies college distinguished by an accomplished faculty, small class size and diverse student body. Centenary is the only baccalaureate and master’s degree granting institution in northwest New Jersey.
Centenary University’s main campus is located in Hackettstown, N.J., with its equestrian facility in Washington Township (Morris County). The Centenary University School of Professional Studies offers degree programs in the following locations: Parsippany, Edison and at corporate sites throughout New Jersey. The School of International Programs recruits international students for study at Centenary and Centenary students for study abroad opportunities.