Four Fantastic Benefits of Online Counseling

Mariposa launched our online platform for individual therapy, and we are so excited about this opportunity for Orange County and beyond! Online counseling comes with numerous benefits; here are the top four: It’s Comfortable Many times, people feel more comfortable sharing sensitive information online. There is a layer of anonymity that is built into this
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Every 30 Seconds Another Person Becomes a Victim of Human Trafficking

How much money is involved? It is estimated that human trafficking generates over $150 BILLION dollars in illegal profits each year. More than one-third of these profits are from forced labor exploitation and the remaining two-thirds from sexual exploitation. Think about it: a drug or gun can be sold one time, but a girl can
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The Amazing Benefits of Horse Therapy for Trauma Survivors

What is equine therapy? When you pair a horse with a human, there is something magical that happens. I’ve been a licensed therapist for over 15 years and some of my best “work” has happened in an arena with a 1500 pound equine and a trauma survivor. Equine-facilitated psychotherapy (interacting with horses) helps clients explore
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How to Recognize the Signs of Domestic Violence

Domestic violence overview What is Domestic Violence? It is complex and often insidious. It can be a pattern of behavior in any relationship that is used to gain or maintain power and control over an intimate partner. There is a full spectrum of abuse that includes (but is not limited to) physical, sexual, emotional, economic
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Why NPE Support Groups are Important

All the Feelings In my last blog, I opened the window to give you a peek into my NPE (Not Parent Expected) journey and DNA discovery. This is all new to me and I am experiencing all the emotions right alongside the rest of you that are getting “surprise” results. I like to think I’m
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My surprising Ancestry DNA test results

The rise of at-home DNA tests As at-home DNA tests are becoming more and more popular, some people are facing the unexpected situation of grappling with surprises about their parents. DNA-matching can bring to light previously unknown or unacknowledged brothers and sisters, cousins, uncles and aunts, or even reveal that the man you call dad
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Abusive dating can start early

The statistics are gut-wrenching: 1 in 4 Orange County teens is in an abusive dating relationship, according to Laura’s House in Orange County, which provides shelter, counseling and legal services to victims of domestic violence. But what’s more startling is that most of these teens don’t know they are victims of abuse. Dating violence begins
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Here’s how Southern California’s survivors of Las Vegas shooting can get free mental health help

Mental health professionals can be thought of as the second responders after a crisis in the community: They help people deal with emotional and behavioral trauma that follows both natural and man-made disasters. In the aftermath of the Route 91 Harvest Festival mass shooting in Las Vegas, a number of local counselors have stepped up to
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14-year-old is on a mission to help victims of domestic violence and bullying

Anika Ortiz was 7 when her older sister was murdered — a victim of domestic violence. Since then, the tragedy has morphed into something else: an inspiration. Anika, now 14, is on a mission to do her part to help victims of domestic violence and bullying. “As long as I see domestic violence in the
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Meet Krista Driver of Mariposa Women & Family Center in Orange County

Today we’d like to introduce you to Krista Driver. Krista, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today. The first four years of my life were spent in Foster Care. My birth mother was just 15 when she had me. Despite her
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