Press Releases

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 […]

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? […]

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 […]

Janet’s Story on Navigating the Hardships of Adolescence

Adolescence is a difficult transition for many teens and their families. They face transitions in the home, school, and socially with peers. This is when so many physical and emotional changes occur, which may be critical for their overall success into adulthood. However, this transition may be even more difficult when our teens face additional […]

Thank You for Joining us at our  ‘Tools 2 Thrive’  Virtual Conference!

Thank you for celebrating Mental Health Awareness Month by joining us at our Mental Health Conference titled ‘Tools 2 Thrive’ Mental Health Conference on May 12. We were thrilled to have you all join us at our first virtual conference. Key conference speakers included Alejandra Trujillo, a licensed marriage and family therapist, an infant, child, […]

The Effects a Pandemic Can Have on Your Mental Health

As the pandemic continues and the changes of the Delta virus filter our news channels, there is no way around the reality of COVID-19 on our levels of fear and anxiety. Often a common symptom of anxiety is ongoing fear, worry, and panic that significantly impacts your ability to cope with your daily life. One […]

Tools 2 Thrive

As a mental health provider, we take great pride in the well-being of our clients and our team members. During May, Mental Health Awareness Month, we are sharing a few ways to address the signs of mental illness through the Tools 2 Thrive campaign initiated by Mental Health America. One in five people will experience […]

Your Change Can Make A Change

Each year millions of Americans face the reality of living with a mental illness. In May, ECDA joins the national movement of Mental Health Awareness Month to raise awareness about mental health. Every year we provide support to thousands of families, educate the public through our free webinars and our ‘Tools 2 Thrive’ mental health […]

How Therapy Gave a Teenage Girl Hope

Many of us can remember our middle school experience. For some, it was a time of growth, for others, a time of fun, and for some, middle school was the most challenging experience. That was the case for Samantha. Samantha came to ECDA in 2018 as a young 11-year-old experiencing irritability, sadness, loss of interest, […]