Welcome to Patch it Up!

Hello Pacifica! Have you ever felt that you just can't communicate with your teenager?  Worried about your toddler hitting in day care?  Concerned that depression is consuming a friend?  Welcome to Patch it Up!  I am honored to start this bog and to write about the everyday challenges of parenting and raising emotionally health children.  I hope our young people and even teenagers will find the entries applicable to their own lives as they navigate school, careers, and the new territory of personal relationships.  The Pacifica Youth Services Bureaus (PYSB) has been a community institution since 1969, providing mental health counseling and family support to all Pacifica families in our clinic at 435 Edgemar Drive and in virtually every Pacifica School.  My intention here is not only to discuss and provoke thoughts and questions about emotional and behavioral issues, but to encourage families and individuals to seek help for addressing mental health issues when they need it.  Addressing issues of anxiety, depression, and adolescent defiance, family functioning, violence, trauma, and substance abuse are every bit as important as addressing basic physical health. So I hope that together we can overcome the stigma associated with emotional challenges and mental illness.  I have been writing monthly articles for the Pacifica Tribune so I will start this blog by posting the past articles that I have written covering a range of topics.  I look forward to some great interaction and we will not shy away from any topic, even the ones we fear most!