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The Gift That Keeps On Giving
“"When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed." - Maya Angelou This holiday season, The Guidance Center received an overwhelming amount of love and cheer as 89 community members and local business made the holidays bright for 90 of our client...
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Holiday Tips for Parents with Children who have Mental Illness
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 depression, anxiety or a trauma related disorder. They might want to...
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Annual Client Holiday Party 2019
It was a celebration to remember! With bright blue snowflakes, shiny and sparkly garland and a fresh tree adorned with silver and white ornaments, our lobby was transformed into a winter wonderland for our Annual Client Holiday Party. More than two hundred children...
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Happy Thanksgiving + Thank You Food Finders!
This season of thankfulness has been an amazing time. As an agency, a team of dedicated professionals and friend to the community, we hope we have shown how much we appreciate all of you. Our supporters, donors, staff and clients make the work we do possible and we...
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A Season of Thankfulness – Grami’s Gift
This November 20, I celebrated my fortieth birthday. Only this year, something was missing; something I usually dreaded, but now in hindsight, utterly took for granted. Every year on my birthday, I’d inevitably receive a phone call with the caller-ID, “Grami.” I knew...
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A Season of Thankfulness – Adopt-A-Family
This month of November, The Guidance Center is celebrating gratitude. Please view our blog, A Season of Thankfulness, for more information. For many, the holiday season is a time of celebration. Typically, when we think of the holidays, we think of gifts under the...
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A Season of Thankfulness – Staff Reflections
This month of November, The Guidance Center is celebrating gratitude. Please view last week’s blog, A Season of Thankfulness, for more information. In honor of this, we reached out to our staff and asked them, “What does gratitude mean to you?” Their responses to this...
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A Season of Thankfulness
During this time of the year, many families and friends gather together to reflect upon and share what they are grateful for. This month at The Guidance Center, we are delighted to join others in this tradition by featuring blog posts that focus on thankfulness and...
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Adopt-A-Family 2019
The holiday season is fast approaching, but for many of the families we serve, the season can be a challenging time. Our clients often face complex hardships, which can make celebrating the holidays distressing and discouraging. At The Guidance Center, we want all...
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It’s About T.I.M.E. Year Four Update, PT. 2
This blog post is continued from It’s About T.I.M.E. Year Four Update Pt. 1. To read part one, click here. We’re thrilled to announce the expansion of our It’s About T.I.M.E. program to a new school and the addition of new team members. Read on to learn about the...
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Self-Compassionate Healing After Domestic Violence
Doris Pakozdi is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist who received her Master's Degree at California State University Dominguez Hills. Her passion for helping women through their trauma was sparked while facilitating the Domestic Violence Women's Empowerment...
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It’s About T.I.M.E. Year Four Update, PT. 1
Nathan Swaringen, LCSW often excitedly tells community members about his work in the It’s About T.I.M.E. (Trauma Informed Movement in Education) program. When asked how he enjoys the role he exclaimed, “I love what I do!” However, he also recognizes that this program...
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Parent Coffee Talks
As I began my new role as a Mental Health Consultant at Educare Head Start at Long Beach Unified School District, I was immediately introduced to teachers, staff and students. I was briefed on the high needs of the school and the community, as some students were...
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Sunset Sip 2019: Hope Takes Flight
We invited the community to uplift and celebrate hope with us at Sunset Sip 2019, and what a wonderful evening it was! More than 180 people attended the 9th Annual Sunset Sip on September 14 at Hotel Maya and helped raise more than $175,000, exceeding funds raised in...
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Hope Takes Flight – Client Stories Recap
Over the last few weeks, we shared updates from three of our former clients, Porschea, Gage and Alexis. Like so many of our clients, they each experienced trauma and faced significant hardships. Their inspiring stories showcase what can happen when hope takes flight....
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Hope Takes Flight – Alexis
Anxiety and bullying once stopped Alexis from happily expressing herself. Now, she strives to connect and interact with others to help them smile. She’s done many exciting things since her last visit to The Guidance Center and singing at the 3rd Annual Sunset Sip. We...
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Hope Takes Flight – Gage
Each day, Gage lives by the phrase, "shoot for the stars, even if you miss you'll always go somewhere new." He created this saying when repairing his self-confidence after years of bullying. He's done many new things and taken on new adventures since his last visit to...
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Hope Takes Flight – Porschea
In her car, Porschea keeps an excerpt of Oh, the Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss, which was given to her by Raul at The Guidance Center. She feels uplifted each time she spots it and is encouraged to keep going. Porschea has accomplished a lot and has been to many...
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Hope Takes Flight – Sunset Sip 2019
Every fall, friends and supporters of The Guidance Center come together to support critical mental health services for our community’s most disadvantaged children and their families at our annual Sunset Sip benefit. Each Sunset Sip event has a theme that highlights a...
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Minorities and CSEC
Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) is a difficult but important topic on any day, and with July being Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, CSEC is even more important to discuss, as minorities are at a higher risk of being sexually trafficked. What...
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