Youth Counseling
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The Parents Center provides culturally competent, professional counseling and adjunct services for
Medi-Cal Eligible Youth ages 3-18 and their families. Our staff utilizes various evidence-based treatment modalities that are focused on helping children with emotional and behavioral challenges to attain the necessary coping and life skills to help them succeed. To best serve the diverse needs of our clients, we develop individualized assessment and treatment plans delivered in a safe and supportive environment.​
Happy Spring​
Santa Cruz County! What an amazing and beautiful place that we are so lucky to call home. While there are many aspects we could name here to describe the beauty of the central coast, one of the best things about living here is the weather. We are blessed to have some of the best weather in California. This lends itself to being able to get outside on most days and there is nothing better for our mental and physical health than being in nature. Being outside has many benefits including:
1) Improved Sleep
Exposing yourself to sunlight can improve your sleep by:
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helping you feel more tired at night
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shortening the time it takes to fall asleep
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improving the quality of your rest
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2) Reduced Depression Symptoms
Sunlight can often help ease depression symptoms like low mood and fatigue.
Light therapy can help treat both major depression and seasonal depression. If you have seasonal depression, you may notice improvement after a few days.. If you have major depression, it may take up to 2 to 5 weeks before you notice improvement.
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3) Mental Restoration
Research from 2020 suggests spending time in nature can help you feel more relaxed and focused, especially when you take the time to notice your surroundings. To get these benefits, you might consider doing slow-paced, contemplative activities like hiking in the woods or kayaking on a lake.
4) Boosted Immune Function
If you live your life in a completely sterile environment, your immune system can lose its ability to recognize what is and isn’t dangerous. It may then set off a red alert for any microorganism it comes across, which can lead to chronic inflammation.
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5) Better Emotional Well Being
​Outdoor time can do more than help relieve unwanted or painful emotions like fear, worry, and sadness. It may also help promote emotions you want to feel more of, like happiness, peace, and optimism.
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6) Improvements in Certain Vision Issues, specifically Short Sightedness.
One 2020 studyTrusted Source included 10,743 children between the ages of 9 and 11 in Taipei. Researchers found that children who spent more time outside at recess were 22 percent less likely to develop myopia than their peers. Increasing the eye-work distance when doing close-up work and taking a break after 30 minutes of close-up work also offered some protection.