Our mission is to create peaceful communication and understanding among people in all life situations so that they may heal the wounding they have experienced or have inflicted on others. We offer counseling that is affordable, comprehensive, ongoing and culturally sensitive and utilize counseling, educational classes, and group work to teach healthy coping skills that stop addictive and abusive cycles.BackgroundCommunity Counseling and Education Center (CCEC) was established in 1984 in response to a growing need for low-cost counseling services. Founders Patricia Cooper, MA, MFT, who continues to serves as Clinical Director; and Jaclyn Henretig, MA, MFT, an active member of the Core Clinical Staff, launched the agency by pairing trained graduate student interns with children, individuals, couples, and families who needed help to manage difficult and painful situations in healthy and healing ways. Our dedicated, bi-lingual staff of 20 graduate students (80% of which are volunteer) are supervised by five, part-time Clinical Staff and trained by twelve Adjunct Clinical Staff to provide more than 7,000 direct service hours annually at our locations on Olive Street and at the downtown Santa Barbara Boys and Girls Club. Families Program Description and ParticipantsCCEC's Families Program provides affordable, bi-lingual counseling, education and group services to low-income clients in our community. This Program umbrellas the Single Parents Project, the Spanish Speaking Families Project, Girls Rule! group, Speak OUT: LGBTQ Youth Project and most recently our Happy Mommy~Happy Baby workshop. This umbrella program serves some of the most marginalized people in our community, many of whom have no other access to counseling and educational services. In addition to individual, couples and family counseling sessions, other services offered include:•Platicas de Familia: Free weekly parenting class for Spanish Speaking population given in 8 week cycles throughout the year•Clases de Comunicacion Efectiva: Free weekly effective communication classes for Spanish Speaking population given in 8 week cycles throughout the year•Girls Rule! Group: Ongoing free weekly interactive process groups where children ages 8-12 explore thoughts and feelings through art and play therapy, journaling and group discussions•Peace up!: An ongoing interactive program for 5th-12th grade students that strengthens self-esteem, and addresses issues of harassment, bullying and violence•SpeakOUT: LGBT Youth Project: An ongoing comprehensive program offering outreach, education, support groups and counseling for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender youth and their families•Happy Mommy~Happy Baby: A free day-long workshop providing education and resources for pregnant teens