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ECDA Newsletter

Managing Your Mental Health During the Holidays



The holidays are usually a season that reminds us to be grateful, merry, and family-centered. However, for some, the holidays can be another reminder of how isolating, depressing, and triggering life can be. For those of you experiencing the latter, you are not alone. So how do you cope with the difficulties of the holidays? Well, we are here to provide you with some tips and tricks that we hope will help you navigate some of the unpleasant reminders of the holidays.

A good first step is recognizing our triggers because if we can foresee when those difficult thoughts and feelings may arise, we can have better control over them. We recognize triggers by understanding our patterns. Ask yourself, why am I feeling the way I am right now? Perhaps it is a smell, a visual, a tactile cue, or something you heard that triggered a distressing thought, which then led to a distressing emotion. Once you can identify what causes these unfavorable thoughts/feelings, you can better prepare to manage them. When we do acknowledge our thoughts and feelings, try to sit with them. As scary as our thoughts and feelings may be, it is important to pay attention to them because they tell us something. When we feel angry, our boundaries may have been crossed. When we feel sad, we may be holding onto something that we, perhaps, need to let go of. When we feel anxious, our body and mind may tell us we need to take some action.

One way to better prepare for difficult times is to implement positive coping skills. For those of you wondering what positive coping skills are, these are techniques used to cope with life's difficulties. We specify "positive" because we want to avoid any coping habits that can be harmful to us, such as alcohol, drugs, and avoidance. Yes, avoiding our distressing thoughts/feelings can be harmful because we are suppressing it rather than tackling the problem. It's like shoving garbage into a wastebasket that is overflowing. Our thoughts and feelings do overflow; they may not be as visible as our 'overfilled wastebaskets.'  

Mindfulness breathing is a simple technique that requires us to focus on breathing as we inhale and exhale slowly. Grounding exercises are another helpful way to cope because it brings us back to the present moment. Additionally, we suggest finding an activity that you find helpful and engaging as your positive coping skill. It could be as simple as listening to music or lighting a candle or as silly as buying yourself flowers or dancing in your living room. Whatever you choose to do, remember that positive coping skills can be used alone or with others.
 
To finish reading the article, click this link. 

UPDATES

It’s All in the Family

 
When his wife, Angie Sanchez, became employed right out of college at El Centro de Amistad (ECDA), Enrique Sanchez could not have imagined what was in store for him. 
 
Throughout the past ten years, Angie shared stories with Enrique of the common hardships families overcome. Her dedication and expertise were recognized when she was promoted to program director. Enrique’s interest in our agency continued through the years as he attended company events, spoke to other team members, and learned about our giving campaigns.
 
“I learned about a Christmas campaign El Centro de Amistad was having to ask for help. I had never given it much thought, so Angie was talking about how the families don’t have money for a Christmas dinner, not even gifts,” said Enrique. “Our giving to the agency started small by adopting a family then sponsoring certain kids.”
 
Now, Enrique has joined other esteemed colleagues as a board member of ECDA. A certified public accountant, Enrique is the founding partner and now managing partner at SLTG, LLP, a company he started about eight years ago.
 
He leverages the relationships he has with clients, providing them opportunities to save on their taxes and donate to charities like El Centro de Amistad. A client once called him crying because she was touched by the thank you cards she received from the children and families.
 
“What the agency does and the community it serves really hits home for me,” said Enrique, who sees his childhood family growing up in a lot of the families served by ECDA. “I could have used support when my parents split up when I was young. As a kid, you don’t know what you don’t have. As an adult, we are so blessed.”

To finish reading the article, click this link. 

El Centro de Amistad Celebrates Success of Annual
Back-to-School Supplies Giveaway

 
Providing high-quality mental health and family support services to under-served communities is at the core of ECDA's mission. Everything we do is tightly focused on accomplishing that mission. Throughout our 44 years of service, ECDA has served more than 110,000 individuals, empowering the lives of children, families, and individuals for a better tomorrow.

Our involvement in the community is also very important. ECDA knows the importance of supporting our community and clients, especially in challenging times like today. It is why hosting community events to provide support to our clients is important. On August 27, 2021, El Centro de Amistad hosted their annual back-to-school distribution event to their nominated families. This event was expected to be the most challenging back-to-school distribution event in the agency's history. "With so many clients looking to ECDA for assistance since the COVID-19 crisis, we expected an increase in the number of families participating in the event," says Flaviola Garcia, Community Relations Coordinator. "School supplies also have a positive impact on students' ability to learn. It has been proven that when students have their own school supplies, their grades and classroom behavior improves, and they become more excited about school and learning; we hope we can provide our clients with the necessary tools to alleviate some anxiety and stress this new school year," says Ms. Garcia.

With the support of their sponsors, Supervisor Sheila Kuehl's office, the Blessed Foundation, Big Sunday, and the business and tax consultants at SLTG, along with our community, we provided over 200 backpacks with school supplies to nominated families. These nominated families were assessed for needs and were provided with a free backpack for each school-aged child in the household.

To finish reading the article, click this link. 

The Challenges of Raising a Child With Autism

 
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication, and behavioral challenges. According to the CDC, in 2020, approximately 1 in 54 children in the U.S. was diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. Studies also stated that boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls.

Raising children with autism often brings stress and many challenges. Caretakers often need to keep the child from running away, manage meltdowns, advocate for special education needs, avoid sights or sounds that overload senses, and drive to therapists or doctor's appointments. This is the case with Rosa. A 31-year-old mother self-referred to therapy due to experiencing various depressive symptoms and behaviors, high levels of anxiety, and overwhelming guilt related to her son's Autism spectrum disorder.

Like Rosa, many mothers of children with ASD, who tend to serve as the child's case manager and advocate, are less likely to work outside the home and experience higher stress levels. Like many other caretakers of autistic children, these symptoms and behaviors significantly impacted Rosa's home and community functioning. Over the course of Rosa’s treatment, Rosa worked closely with her therapist Lilia. They worked on improving her positive coping skills for her to be able to recognize, tolerate and accept emotions related to life stressors. They also improved her communication skills and learned stress-reducing strategies to help better manage triggers to her depressive symptoms and other life stressors. Rosa and her therapist practiced reframing negative thinking patterns and developing more self-awareness, problem-solving, and assertive expression.

To finish reading the article, click this link. 

FEATURED VIDEO

We invite you to view some of the latest events that El Centro de Amistad has hosted.
Visit and subscribe to our YouTube channel for more videos.

WAYS YOU CAN HELP

 
 

 


Thanksgiving Gift Card & Food Basket Drive
Please help our underserved families enjoy a nice dinner this Thanksgiving season. Now more than ever, we need your help making this season festive and bright. Join our Thanksgiving food drive by hosting a gift card or food basket donation.

Donate a basket with Thanksgiving non-perishable food items or a $50 grocery store gift card, so the recipient of your generous donation has food on the table during the holiday break. Gift cards can be to the following stores: Food 4 Less, Ralphs, or Walmart.


Our Thanksgiving donation campaign will start on Monday, September 27, and will end on November 12. Items can be dropped off at 566 South Brand Blvd. San Fernando, CA. 91340 Monday-Friday from 8:30 am-5:00 pm. No drop-off appointments are necessary. 


For more information, please contact Community Relations Coordinator, Flaviola Garcia at (818) 898-0223 or email at flaviola.g@ecda.org.
 

 

                     

 
 

 

 
Operation Christmas Spirit. Help by Sponsoring a Family Today!
High unemployment rates, homelessness, financial stressors, and mental health concerns lead to uneasy feelings of frustration, sadness, and anxiety for a parent who cannot provide a holiday meal for their family. With the impact of the pandemic, we’re asking supporters like you to consider adopting a family for the holidays.
 
Every year during the holidays, about 20 low-income families, some homeless, single-parent households, undocumented, or facing family disruption, are identified for our Adopt-A-Family program. We need your support to help our families have a brighter holiday season.
 
If you want to adopt a family or would like more information, call Flaviola Garcia at (818) 898-0223 or email flaviola.g@ecda.org. Wish lists will go out to sponsors starting November 8.  
                     





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Call to Make an Appointment Today!

We are currently accepting children and adults with Medi-Cal and no insurance. To see if you qualify for services, please call our San Fernando Intake team at (818) 898-0223 or our Canoga Park Intake team at (818) 347-8565. Our Intake representatives can also assist in Spanish.

We are currently offering Telehealth services during COVID-19. To learn more about the services we provide, please visit www.ecda.org .


 

 
Useful Links and Resources:

COVID-19 Testing: covid19.lacounty.gov/testing
COVID-19 Vaccine Appointments: 
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/reporting/vaccinefinder/about.html

Mental Health Support: (800) 854-7771 or text “LA” to 741741 or visit  

https://dmh.lacounty.gov/covid-19-information/

For additional resources please dial 2-1-1

 

ECDA BOARD OF DIRECTORS 

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El Centro de Amistad

West Valley Offices
7038 Owensmouth Avenue 
Canoga Park, CA 91303 
Phone: 818-347-8565 | Fax: 818-347-0506

8399 Topanga Canyon Blvd. | Ste. 303
Canoga Park, CA 91304
Phone: (818) 593-4246 | Fax: (818) 593-4297


East Valley Office 
566 South Brand Boulevard  
San Fernando, CA 91340 
Phone: 818-898-0223 | Fax: 818-361-5384


Visit us online: www.ecda.org

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