Affordable Care

Community Counseling + Education

By Erica Rascón on Nov 2, 2016 in Giving, People

Patricia Cooper found herself facing a two-fold void in the Santa Barbara community. A growing number of families were in desperate need of counseling, but they could not afford traditional services. Countless graduate students vied for scarce opportunities to fulfill their 3,000-hour residencies. Once the connection between the two dilemmas became evident, Cooper sprang into action. Filling both needs became easier than Cooper had expected.

In 1984, Cooper and her partner, Jaclyn Henretig, opened the doors to Community Counseling and Education Center (CCEC). The nonprofit organization offers counseling and educational programs for low-income individuals in the community. CCEC doubles as a training ground for graduate students. The demand for low-cost counseling and hands-on training was so great that the organization thrived immediately.

Cooper laughs, “We just kind of took off and didn’t look back. We trusted and everything just fell into place. If you look in retrospect, we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into in terms of how much time and effort it was going to take. But along the way, we had so much fun doing it.”

CCEC assists a diverse range of clients by offering individual and couples counseling, group therapy, Spanish-language services, as well as programming for single parents and the LGBTQ community. Each program has flourished since the organization opened.

Communication and coping mechanisms are two of the most popular topics in counseling sessions.

“The most requested service among couples is to strengthen communication skills,” observes Cooper. “It’s also a lot of looking at past habits for handling stress that are not functional. We’re looking at alcohol and drug use, specifically.”

During the Recession, the organization experienced an increase in clients. Those years highlighted the necessity of affordable counseling programs that can serve the community without clients’ insurance policies.

“The community here is a broad brushstroke of what’s been going on across the country for the last decade, with the recession and how that impacted everybody,” says Cooper. “People were definitely feeling stressed and overwhelmed by the challenges of making ends meet. Whether you’re a student, a young couple, or a new family. We had a lot of people coming in who, heretofore, would’ve been seeing licensed people.”

In addition to counseling, educational services in English and Spanish extend to clients of all ages. Community members can explore everything from computer skills, to dementia care, and expressing their feelings through art.

Yardi recently supported youth programming at CCEC including Girls Rule, Boys Voices, Children’s Feelings, and Peace Up. These groups nurture and support children’s well-being through exploration and developing communication skills.

Throughout the array of services offered at CCEC, one message remains consistent: clients are encouraged to savor impermanence. It is a revelation that Cooper gained through her hobby as a gardener.

“Nothing stays the same. It’s an aspect of healing. A lot of people come in struggling with a lot of pain, and they can know that’s not always going to be so. Being in nature and touching mother earth in whatever way you may do that—with your hands in the soil, your feet in the sand or in the water—the earth is there to offer us healing 24-7. It’s both nurturing and rewarding. There are so many ways in which we are supported, and we don’t recognize that sometimes in our hurried lives. The struggling is impermanent and there is healing available.”

With the help of CCEC counselors, that message has helped numerous clients overcome personal and professional battles. With the continued support of CCEC and the community, clients can experience relief a moment sooner, regardless of their economic resources.

To show your support for CCEC, join Yardi in making a donation.