SJC to Host Screening of Award Winning Documentary “Kings Park”

September 19, 2014

Patchogue, N.Y. – September 19, 2014 – The Departments of Psychology and Child Study at St. Joseph’s College (SJC) will host a screening of the documentary Kings Park: Stories from an American Mental Institution on Friday, October 24 at 6:30 p.m. in The Muriel & Virginia Pless Center for Performing Arts located in O’Connor Hall on the College’s Long Island Campus. The film will be followed by a panel discussion facilitated by film director Lucy Winer.

At the age of 17, Lucy was committed to the female violent ward of Kings Park State Hospital following a series of failed suicide attempts. Thirty years later, as an award-winning documentary director, Lucy returns to Kings Park for the first time since her discharge. Her journey back sparks a decade-long effort to learn the story of the now-abandoned institution that once held her captive. Meetings with other former patients, their families and the hospital staff, reveal the painful legacy of our state hospital system and the crisis left by its demise.

"We were so moved  by this documentary and the impact it had on the audience, we wanted to bring it to St. Joseph's College,” said Katherine L. Granelli, Ed.D., associate professor of child study at SJC. “The film reveals a profound aspect of Long Island history and the serious challenges that exist in providing effective and compassionate mental health care.”

“The film and panel discussion led by Lucy Winer will provide a rare and valuable opportunity for our students and broader community to gain an understanding of the current challenges from a multifaceted and interdisciplinary perspective,” said Diane Sherlip, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at SJC. “Most importantly, this event will open the door to honest dialogue about how our current systems, and next generation of professionals, can bring about positive change.”

This event is free and open to the public. Seating is on a first-come basis. For more information about this event, contact Katherine Granelli at 631.687.1217 or [email protected] or Diane Sherlip at [email protected]. For additional information about the film, visit the website.

ABOUT ST. JOSEPH'S COLLEGE
St. Joseph’s College has been dedicated to providing a diverse population of students in the New York metropolitan area with an affordable education rooted in the liberal arts tradition since 1916. Independent and coeducational, the College provides a strong academic and value-oriented education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, aiming to prepare each student for a life characterized by integrity, intellectual and spiritual values, social responsibility and service. With campuses located in the Clinton Hill area of Brooklyn and in Patchogue, Long Island, the College offers degrees in more than 29 majors, special course offerings and certificates, affiliated and pre-professional programs.