Giving Back Magazine April 2018 | Page 86

Mental Health RISE UP s ometimes, we just don’t want to talk about our struggles. It might be the struggles that we personally deal with that evoke anxiety or depression. Or, even the struggles that our child faces at home and school that disrupts them from being that happy child we know they can be. The confusion, embarrassment, agony and shame we may feel about our mental health challenges can become too daunting at times to the point where we just feel so alone, if not immobilized… wondering if things will ever get better. The reality is that families in our community are not alone in their struggles. 1 out of every 5 children in San Diego is struggling with a mental, emotional or behavioral disorder. You may even know one of these children, or it might even be your own child who is experiencing 86 GBSAN.COM | APRIL 2018 difficulties. And, not only are over 105,000 children and teens suffering in our community, but their families and those around them are too. Challenges with mental health affects many lives. For the past 131 years, The San Diego Center for Children has remained committed to ensuring that children and families do not feel alone or isolated. Through a comprehensive and nationally accredited continuum of programs, over 1,000 individuals receive support every day across 8 program sites in our county with services ranging from outpatient and in-home based therapy to residential treatment, autism services, a K-12 nonpublic special education school, school-based programs and therapeutic support for foster youth.