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Stop Stigma: Make an Impact this May for Mental Health Month
From The Guidance Center’s CEO, Patricia Costales, LCSW: We’ve come a long way to combat the stigma surrounding mental health in our communities. More often, we see brave children and their families seeking help and wanting to create change in their lives. At...
What is Autism?
No child learns or develops new skills in exactly the same way as another child. Some children walk earlier, talk later, or sleep through the night faster than others, and that is all part of being a kid! However, when a child takes a very long time to develop...
Keep Calm: Tips for Temper Tantrums
The amount of tempter tantrums that can occur in one day at any preschool is unpredictable. As a mental health therapist, the questions that I sometimes am asked are: “How do we deal with a tantrum?” “What can we do to prevent a tantrum?” “How can we stop the tantrum...
Strengthening Families Together
Parenting itself can oftentimes be an overwhelming task. Parents want the best for their children. When met with added stressors, however, a parent might not be in a state of mind to make the healthiest choices for their children and, at times, unintentionally...
The Therapeutic Power of Love – It’s About T.I.M.E. Update
This article comes from our Spring 2019 Newsletter. Click here to view the full issue! “Mr. Nathan, look at my new shoes!” “Mr. Nathan, watch how hard I can hit the tetherball!” “Mr. Nathan, are we going to drum today?” Stepping foot on any of my three It’s About...
Roll Call Mental Health Training Videos Receives Great Reviews
"I feel confident in approaching a mental health related situation" This article comes from our Spring 2019 Newsletter. Last year, The Guidance Center in partnership with Los Angeles and Long Beach Police Departments and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s...
Donor Profile: Steve Brosnac, Artist
There is a captivating acrylic painting hanging in the hallway of our Long Beach Headquarters to inspire clients and staff alike. The subject of the painting is easily recognizable – it’s the Statue of Liberty – but with a meaningful twist. Lady Liberty has...
Grant News: Weingart Foundation Awards $150,000 to The Guidance Center
“We work to advance fairness, inclusion, and opportunity for all Southern Californians, especially those communities hit hardest by persistent poverty.” – Weingart Foundation At The Guidance Center, our mission since 1946 has been to provide comprehensive...
What It Means to be a Social Worker
As social workers, I feel we serve a unique role as agents of change from micro to macro levels. We serve as a bridge, gardener and first responder, among many other roles. In these capacities, we support individuals, families and communities, collectively...
Connecting Lives: Our Partnership with the City of Long Beach’s Innovation Team
April 2, 2018 was my first day working in a jail. I walked up and down the long walkways thinking to myself, how did I end up here? I followed the detention officer down the catwalk with my head down, intentionally distracted with a custody report on my...
5 Ways to Care for Your Child’s Mental Health
With the conversation of mental health becoming more common, information can quickly turn overwhelming. So let’s keep this simple, following are 5 ways you can daily care for your children’s mental health. Quality Time Let’s start with quality time, with life...
Client Success Story: Jazzy
It is my pleasure to share with you a story of a client who started off at The Guidance Center at the tender age of 2 years old. Shy and reserved, Jazzy walked into her new therapist’s office a little uncertain because she had first met with a different...
Play Therapy: 5 Reasons Why It’s So Effective
“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood,” by Fred Rogers. As this quote from the iconic “Mr. Rogers” reminds us, it has not been long in our...
Client Success Story: Veronica and Jessica
Veronica was just two years old when she was referred to The Guidance Center for therapy. She had been removed from her mother and placed in foster care due to allegations of neglect. Veronica was malnourished, and her previous living environment was deemed...
Signs Your Child Might Benefit from Mental Health Support
Para mirar el articulo en Español favor de continuar mas abajo de la pajina. Mental health is a topic that has stirred up more conversation over the past couple of years. Within these conversations and surrounding events in our world and communities, there are common...
Tips for Manifesting Your New Year Resolutions
This blog post first appeared on Long Beach Post. Bravo! You’ve made resolutions and identified goals for 2019. You’re resolved and ready to act, but your journey is best begun with the correct frame of mind. To settle your mind, try manifesting. “When one manifests...
Hope for the Holidays
“Together we can change the world, one small act of kindness at a time.” - Ron Hall The holidays for our families can be especially difficult. Our families come from all different backgrounds and face complicated hardships. The Adopt-A-Family program helps change...
Annual Client Holiday Party
The first week of December at The Guidance Center is a magical time. Staff take on the role of Santa’s elves and transform our Long Beach headquarters into a winter wonderland for our Annual Client Holiday Party. A fresh tree was delivered and delightfully trimmed...
Holiday Tips for Parents with Children who have Mental Illness
This post was also published by Long Beach Post on Dec. 18, 2018. The holidays can be a difficult time of year for those struggling with a mental illness. It is very likely that you may know someone who may be facing an emotional or behavioral health issue such as...
Adopt-a-Family Donor Spotlight: Heather Stangle-Smith and Nate Smith
This article was originally published in Grunion Gazette on Nov. 28, 2018. When Heather Stangle-Smith and Nate Smith moved to Long Beach three years ago, they were looking to build community. They had heard great things about the city from friends who had grown up...