Laura Lustig: ONE WOMAN’S JOURNEY

“Cerebral Palsy or left hemiplegic.” It was a phrase she didn’t understand right away. In fact, the professionals whose advice Laura Lustig sought about her son didn’t tell her very much at all. The challenges of providing for a son with emotional and special education needs would lead her on a journey from concerned mother to psychologist and family therapist to becoming the founder and president of a counseling center, the New Learning Therapy Center in Westport, dedicated to meeting psycho-educational needs for a whole community.

Laura and Hal Lustig were living in New Jersey with their three children, Andrew, Lynn and Jesse. The youngest, Jesse, would eventually be diagnosed as neurologically impaired. “People resisted giving us a specific diagnosis or telling us much of anything,” Laura reports. “Even Jesse’s pediatrician knew, but didn’t tell us.” Laura discovered that many parents were experiencing the same confusion and lack of knowledge. “Everyone had little pieces of information, but no one seemed to have a perspective that serviced the whole child….and there was almost nothing available to help their families.”

             "Our bond as a couple grew stronger as we supported
                     each other through the difficult years ahead."
                                                                                                            - Dr. Laura Lustig

Laura describes how limited services were at that time. There were few services dealing with a child’s social needs, and nothing that was publicly supported. Hal and Laura felt they had to send Jesse to a private school. It was this situation that created Laura’s determination to learn as much as she could about children with special needs. She had only a few credits toward her bachelor’s degree at the time, so Laura went back to school. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology and went on to receive a master’s degree in Pupil Personnel Services.

At the same time, Laura went on to initiate a special PTA for parents of children with special needs as well as an after-school recreation program. Her next step was to help found a private school for special needs children, the Bergen Center for Child Development. Both she and Hal were very involved in the formation and running of the school.

Laura speaks with great fondness of her husband, who passed away in March of 2002. She remembers him spending a great deal of time with Jesse. “The two of them loved working with tools together. It helped cement their truly special relationship.” Laura remembers, “Our bond as a couple grew stronger as we supported each other through the difficult years ahead.”

Hal and Laura applied themselves to locating a community that would be welcoming to their two other children, as well as providing the range of services Jesse needed. In July of 1975, along with Lynn, Andrew and Jesse, the family moved to Weston. Although there were services for Jesse in the regional program, Laura discovered that information and assistance for family members were limited. So, typically, Laura rolled up her sleeves and got to work. Along with some other parents, she started a special PTA and directed her energies toward working with the school district to locate and engage more specially trained teachers.

As Jesse grew older, she understood that even more services would be needed. As an outgrowth of the special PTA, along with other involved parents, she helped start the first group home in the area for this special population. The Community League of Advocates for Special People created what we now know as the CLASP Group Homes. There are now numerous CLASP Homes in the area.

“Being a mother to a special needs child like Jesse,” Laura says, “was the accelerator. It got me started on all the wonderful and satisfying efforts that came later." Laura reports that there was and still is a great need for understanding the needs of the family members of these special clients. So, Laura went back to school one more time. She earned a master’s degree in Psychology and a sixth year certificate in Family Clinical Studies. She worked as a family therapist, and went on yet again to achieve her PhD in Psychology through the Fielding Institute of California.

All of these experiences led Laura and Hal to want to create a counseling center that integrates family and individual services and that would be dedicated both to quality of service and to a supportive collegiality among its professional staff members. So, in 1989, with Hal’s encouragement, Laura began collaborating with talented professionals in the area toward creating such an environment. In October of 1993, the New Learning Therapy Center opened its doors to the community at what is known as Carriage Hill South at 1200 Post Road East in Westport.

“For the past twelve years, “ Laura proudly states, “The New Learning Therapy Center has provided the highest quality individual, couple and family counseling services as well as social skills groups and various consultations for children and their families. We have an incredibly dedicated and talented staff, some of whom also teach in university settings. On-going professional learning is woven into the fabric of the organization, and most of our clinical staff have been with us for years. I look back on all of this as such an amazing journey.”

Laura, indefatigable and busy as ever, is now in the process of writing her memoirs which she has titled, “Attics of the Mind: a Mother’s Story”. We look forward to an inspiring tale.

For more information or to inquire about Attics of the Mind: a Mother’s Story, please send us an email by clicking here.

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