May is Mental Health Awareness Month

Hello SGVPA Folx, It's that time of the year again to wear our purple ribbons and advocate! Intimate partner violence affects millions of people in the United States every year according to the CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/intimate-partner-violence/about/index.html My journey into the psychology and therapeutic world started out at the Santa Cruz County Women's Crisis Support Center - Defensa de Mujeres. I became a volunteer for their organization and completed their 100 hour volunteership training in 2005. I was introduced to this topic through advocacy in my AP English class in high school so when the volunteer opportunity arose I was ready to do my part. Both having a personal interest and an advocacy interest in domestic violence I have been able to incorporate this topic into every year of training and continue to assist this population in a therapeutic setting. I have been wearing my purple ribbon for advocacy and awareness since 2003. Please feel free to share these resources with friends, family, colleagues, clients, and community members. Intimate partner violence reaches into every socioeconomic range, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, and level of education. We can be safe spaces and strongholds for our community.

Hello SGVPA Folx, It's Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 - October 15 September is the start of Hispanic Heritage Month. Hispanic Heritage Month starts September 15th through October 15th. Although the name is Hispanic Heritage it is meant to capture Latino/a individuals. "Hispanic usually refers to people with a background in a Spanish-speaking country, while Latino is typically used to identify people who hail from Latin America." - https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-difference-between-hispanic-vs-latino-5082005 The resources presented today will be ways to celebrate and honor the Hispanic Latin@ population, resources to inform yourself on what to do with anti-Hispanic/anti-Latino sentiment, and access to Spanish language resources. "Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated each year from September 15 to October 15. It began as a week-long celebration in 1968 under President Johnson and was expanded to a month by President Reagan 20 years later in 1988. The month-long celebration provides more time to properly recognize the significant contributions Hispanic/Latino Americans have made in the United States.." - https://latino.si.edu/learn/teaching-and-learning-resources/hispanic-heritage-month-resources/hispanic-heritage-month