Dear Friends,

All of the staff here at PCDA would like to wish you, our PCDA family and friends, fun and happy holidays. We invite you to share in the fun at our holiday recitals!  As we close 2018 and look forward to the possibilities in the new year ahead, we also ask that you consider us in your year-end giving.  We strive to provide the best services possible to everyone that comes to us with questions or concerns. Your gift helps to make PCDA possible.

Thank you and best wishes to you all!

 
Dr. Diane

Diane Cullinane, MD    
Executive Director

Grace has a B.A. with a major in Psychology from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, AB, Canada. Prior to joining PCDA, she previously worked as a Youth and Kids Ministry Worker for over 8 years and loves working with families. She has extensive experience in developing programs for young people, managing events and coordinating volunteers. As a Developmental Interventionist, Grace has shown a growth in her skill and knowledge of DIR/Floortime to support clients and families in the SEDI, social skills, and Teen Club program. Grace has been great at seeking out support from our multi-disciplinary team to collaborate on strategies to implement in her sessions with families. She has shown great connections with her clients and her ability to understand their individual differences. We are delighted to honor Grace as our Developmental Interventionist of the Month.  

Thank you to our great team of volunteers who came out to PCDA's Annual Stuffing/Mailing Party.  Over 1,500 annual appeal letters were assembled, sealed, and labeled for mailing!

Pictured from the left:

Cassie Bryant and Jenik Karapetyan (not pictured) are corporate volunteers from First Foundation Bank on Lake Avenue.  Throughout the year, these dedicated volunteers enjoy helping PCDA with various administrative projects.  First Foundation Bank encourages its employees to volunteer their time in support of PCDA's mission and to benefit the children and families who receive services at PCDA.  Thank you, First Foundation Bank, for your continued support!

Stevie Douglas, Music Therapy student at CSUN, recently started as a new volunteer.  Stevie plans to become a Music Therapy intern at PCDA in the future.  In the meantime, she wants to gain more hands-on experience working with various groups and programs.  She is also interested in learning more about PCDA and wants to help out any way she can.  Welcome, Stevie!

Genny Mariscol and Joyce Yee are retired grandmothers who enjoy taking classes at their local senior center and volunteering at PCDA in their spare time.  These fabulous grandmothers are always so happy and enthusiastic to help with any project!  Thank you, Genny and Joyce, for your smiles and great volunteer spirit! 

We presented at the National Conference for Music Therapy in Dallas, Texas. They are so proud to represent PCDA and be a model for other music therapists wanting to integrate DIR/Floortime into their clinical work. We hope to continue to spread the word about using this humanistic approach and pave the way for this growing modality within our field.

This is a fun story about a girl and her pet goose. Throughout the story we see that Sophie and her classmates know that Sophie’s pet goose has followed them to school, but the teacher seems unaware. This is a good story to begin helping children understand that people have different perspectives and knowledge. The illustrations are also from the child’s perspective, showing only the legs of adult characters.

Baby Potato Bites

Ingredients

• 12 baby potatoes, sliced in half
• 1 tsp canola oil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1 tbsp capers, drained and finely chopped
• 1 75-g hot-smoked trout or salmon, about 1 fillet, flaked
• 2 tbsp finely chopped chives
• flaky sea salt (optional)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with foil.
• Use a melon baller to scoop out flesh from each potato half, leaving at least 1/8 in. of flesh around sides and bottom, and set aside for another use.
• Place hollowed-out potatoes on prepared sheet, cut-side up. Brush with oil then sprinkle with salt. Season with fresh pepper.
• Bake in center of oven until fork-tender, 25 to 30 min. Remove from oven.
• Stir sour cream with capers. Fill potatoes with sour cream mixture, then top with smoked trout. Sprinkle with chives and sea salt.