Mental Health Resources

What do you do when someone you love is suicidal? Even if that someone is your five year old son? Dr. Jenny Palmiotto shares her story.

I think it is easy for us to forget how capable and resilient we actually are. We are resilient by nature; resiliency is a natural part of life. Resiliency is also a choice.

Get to know our therapists! This month we are spotlighting Melissa Geiger!

You are invited to be a part of a growing community of people from all over the world that believe a difference can be made in the way autistic people are treated!

Brian is the Director of Behavioral Services at FGTC, accompanied by his therapy dog Perci. Get to know him a little more here!

An autism therapist takes a hard look at the practices of ABA therapy. This is a must read for any parent of an autistic child!

We invite you to join us for our conversation, “Kids & Books & Love & Autism,”  where we will adjoin stories, family, and compassion with Dr. Jenny Palmiotto, and author Sally J. Pla.

Meet Jenny Palmiotto! Jenny is the founder and visionary behind the Family Guidance and Therapy Center. Not only is she passionate in her work with children, she is also passionate in her advocacy...

This month we are starting a new therapist spotlight blog! First up, meet Walanda Johnson.

I hug my children and share our family values; that kids should be safe at school. I fight hard the bitterness in my throat as I realize that this isn’t everyone’s values. My kids and everyone else’s children deserve better.

What if we start to reach outside of our own bubbles and offer small acts of kindness to the people who cross our paths?

What got me to my “breaking point” is sometimes trivial and other times more memorable; but truthfully the content of that isn’t ever important. What is important, is that we engage in a process towards wellness.

Yes and yes!  Self-compassion is a wellness practice of being kind to oneself when emotions such as pain, suffering and general feelings of ‘not enough-ness’ emerge within us. Clearly, we all have...

Instead of adding to my anxiety by being mean to myself, I abated it by giving myself the same kind words that I would give others.

Bring back the joy you used to fell during the Holidays!

Free event: Parenting with Positive Discipline

What can learning self-love do for you?

Meet Kristine & Jake Mastronardi!

We know you want to better support your child now and want hope for your child’s future.

What happens when your work values don’t match your personal values?

I’ve found my trail, but now it’s time for my children to do the same.

What if I could be part of changing how the world thinks about autism?

Don’t let the stress of summer get in the way of your self-care routine. Restore balance in your life with these tips.

Clinician Brain Bovino shares his parenting tips for fathers of autistic children.

The suicide rate among autistics is 40% higher than the general population. How do we change that?

How do you manage your daily life when there is just so much to do as a parent and a person?

Love & Autism 2017 will be the best year ever!

Love & Autism 2017 is almost here!

How are you approaching the teenage years?

Congratulations to Dr. A’verria Martin!

Remember you’re more than WORTH it!

Art Therapist Kasey Connors is open and honest, talking about her growth as a therapist working with autistic children.

As human beings, I believe we all strive for growth.

The beautiful and simple truth is growth is a lifelong process that takes time.

Sometimes we must set less traditional goals and look for growth in places that aren’t as easy to see or measure.

Learn the benefits of online therapy.

Grit. A powerful, yet intimidating word.

Do grittiness and autism go together?

Rather than focusing on what we need to wrap and package for the holiday, this year, ask yourself and your partner what you want to achieve or how you want to become closer and let the feeling lead the activity.

Understanding our own feelings allows us to understand the impact those feelings have on our partner.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy is widely recognized as one of the most effective treatments for the symptoms of prior trauma and posttraumatic stress.

“There is no wrong in art!”

Meet Meghan Murphy!

So this holiday season, stop stressing about finding the perfect toy or game for your child and spend that energy on staying present with your children.

This holiday season, instead of spending money on gifts that will be forgotten, why not buy a gift the whole family can enjoy together?

Over a lifetime, nothing compares to the gift of presence and building family connections.

Put simply, persons with autism deserve to live happy lives.

Creating opportunities where a child can learn, grow, and be shown loving-kindness shouldn’t be all that hard, should it?

Alfonso is non-speaking, but he has a lot to say. The world needs to listen and learn from this young man’s wise and whole-hearted way of living.

When you hear the word autism, what do you think?

We can all create healthy relationships in all the varied forms that relationships exist.

When your autistic child grows up to become an adult, what they will remember the most is what their parent(s) did for them. Be their support system.

Changing the way the world views love, relationships, sex, dating and friendship for those on the autism spectrum.

This is my grassroots shift to authenticity in autism treatment.

Change your own beliefs, expectations, and attitudes; change the world, but don’t demand change from the person with autism.

Love your own neurology. Love your partner, child’s, best friends uniqueness. Love is available to all.

Misunderstandings are part of being human—whether you are on the autism spectrum on not.

Have you ever received a bad prognosis about your child’s future? Have you ever been told that you shouldn’t have hope?

Parents find his insight very helpful as “Why?” is a question they often ask when discussing their child’s unique behaviors.

Learning to navigate when it is safe or unsafe to be vulnerable is the key to balancing the risks versus the rewards.

“When people give me projects to cold call other students so that I can practice my ‘social skills’ I finally get it…they don’t think I’m capable of real relationships.”

In the autism community, EVERYONE knows Alex…but here are some things you might not have known.

Everyone is capable of a better human interaction. To be kinder, more emotionally present, and willing to share with one another takes effort. Yet, it’s always worth the effort.

THIS IS THE WEDDING OF THE YEAR. Yet, for those of you still needing a push, I offer three reasons why you should attend this very special all-autism wedding.

Why doesn’t the autism community have any sex symbols? Where are the Zac Efron’s and Patrick Dempsey’s of ASD?

Today, the ampersand is commonly used to suggest a partnership or collaboration. A union, if you will.

Our speakers at Love & Autism: A Conference with Heart, are living proof that relationships matter.

I feel compelled to educate those around us that being on the spectrum does not equate to acts of inconceivable violence. However, connection and relationships are so vitally important for feeling satisfied within one’s own life.

Anyone who has been in a relationship knows that complete bliss is not possible 100 percent of the time.

Just recently (April 8, 2014), solid gains were made in Sacramento to change AB2041, which is an assembly bill that clarifies the autism-treatment mandate to include therapies beyond ABA.

How do we show our spouse or partner, or even our closest friends or family that we care?

When we remember to take a few personal minutes, eat healthy meals, and get enough sleep, we can better handle anything life has to throw at us.

Emotional intelligence is crucial to any growing child.

As a parent, one of your most important jobs is to prepare your children for life and impart to them the tools they need to grow into happy, successful adults.

The end of summer and the beginning of a new school year can be a stressful time for parents and children alike.

If you’ve ever experienced depression, you know how frustrating and, at times, debilitating it can be.

If those people who were supposed to be the closest to you broke your trust, who’s to say that someone else won’t do it?

It is essential to our overall health to learn to reduce stress responses in our body and mind.

We’ve all hit that bump in the road, the setback, the problem. What sets people apart is how they react to that bump.

It’s easy to think negatively; being positive and staying positive is the tough choice. How do we infuse our mind with positive thinking?

Three qualities that are essential for creating a healthy, enduring relationship are: respect, friendship, and trust.

Relationship intimacy works kind of like a ladder. You both start at the bottom, making low-cost bids for emotional intimacy.

These are good principles for couples regardless of how long they have been together or married.

There are a number of things you can do to avoid setting yourself up for a win-lose dynamic and communication problems in your relationship.

If you feel like you would like more deployment help outside of the traditional military services, we offer a variety of therapies to help you and your family through all stages of deployment.

Taking place from the sixth through the twelfth, the special week has been created to help bolster the role of counseling in America’s communities and to work towards washing away the stigmas still attached to mental health care in many areas.

Have your plans just not worked out the way you thought they might? Have you felt sad, mad or even devastated because of it? If so, you are not alone.

Having a child diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder has a profound effect on the entire family.

“Parents are their child’s first teachers.”

MedFT is a subdivision of marital and family therapy that is practiced in medical and private practice
settings.